


Welcome to the Gayborhood, Danvers

by SapphicScholar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU University, Baby Gay Alex Danvers, Coming Out, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Promise there's plot in here too, Sanvers Endgame, Sexting, Slow Burn, Smut, Strap-Ons, SuperCorp, sister bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-09-18 15:10:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 65
Words: 210,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9390416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicScholar/pseuds/SapphicScholar
Summary: University AU where Alex, Maggie, and Winn all work as biology professors in Hank's Department and Kara is the assistant (later promoted) to Dean Cat Grant. It takes the intervention of a cocky new professor, Maggie Sawyer, to finally drag Alex out of the closet where she's been fighting back memories of the night she spent with Vicky Donahue in high school. Mainly canon compliant for the important stuff. Includes some Supergirl adventures, but focuses mainly on Alex and her development and relationships with Vicky, Maggie, and Kara. Later includes more of Kara and Supercorp!(Sorry for the not great summary. This is my first fic, and I'd love any kudos/comments!)





	1. Chapter 1

“…and Alex will be in charge of mentoring the new faculty members.” Hearing her name mentioned, Alex Danvers focused her attention back on the Department Chair, Hank Henshaw, and nodded at him. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about the “back to school” announcements, but when they were already all typed out in a memo, she didn’t see why they needed to sit through yet another meeting when she could be back in her lab or editing the journal article she just got back with yet another “revise and resubmit” response. Once Alex’s role as new faculty mentor had been discussed and the conversation had shifted to reminders about syllabi and not leaving colored paper in the printer, Alex went back to doodling in the margins of her copy of the meeting agenda until Hank finally dismissed them. 

Gathering up the extra papers, Hank called out to Alex, who was trying to make a hasty exit, “Dr. Danvers, will you meet me in the conference room in ten? I’m giving the new professors a tour of the campus and would like to introduce them to you before we leave.”

“Of course, Hank.” After a two-hour-long meeting, what were a few more minutes? Alex stretched and ambled down the hallway, figuring while she was out of her lab she may as well get herself some coffee. In the kitchen, though, Alex couldn’t find her mug—a large black mug with “Stronger Together” emblazoned in red that Kara had gotten as part of a large gift basket from the President after she saved her life…twice. Already under-caffeinated, Alex found herself growing increasingly annoyed as she pulled down one of the shitty Styrofoam cups reserved for visitors and first year grad students who didn’t yet know if they had earned a spot on the department shelf. Marching into the hallway she nearly took out a short woman leaning against the door for the conference room. She began to mumble an apology, but then a gleam of red caught her eye and she snapped, “What are you doing with my mug?” 

“Your mug? It was on a shelf that said, ‘Biology Department.’ No names there,” the woman challenged.

“Well it’s mine. Just because you didn’t know it doesn’t make it less true.” 

“So what? Am I supposed to go dump this coffee into a new cup just so you can drink the same crappy coffee out of a slightly different container?”

“That’d be a good start.”

The shorter woman arched an eyebrow and looked Alex up and down, “Really? Is this some sort of hazing? I thought I left that behind in undergrad…”

As Alex opened her mouth to respond, Hank strode purposefully over to them, clapping Alex on the shoulder as he said, “Dr. Danvers, I see you’ve already met one of your charges for the coming year. Maggie Sawyer will be joining us this year with a dual appointment here and in National City University’s Law School. And Dr. Sawyer, this is Alex Danvers, professor of astrobiology and, I might add as the man who hired her, a real star in the field. She’ll be serving as the new faculty mentor this year for you and the other new professors.” Seeing the slightly stunned expression on Maggie’s face and guessing what might have transpired before he arrived, Hank added, “Oh, and Dr. Sawyer, don’t let the gruff exterior scare you away. Next time just give her some coffee first…and maybe let her use her own mug.” 

Maggie snorted, then attempted to put on a serious face, nodding at Hank as he headed into the conference room. Turning back to Alex with a big dimpled smile, Maggie motioned to the doorway. “After you, Danvers.” 

Crossing her arms, Alex made her way to Hank. “Be nice,” he warned, though Alex caught the small smile that flitted across his lips before he turned back to the three new faculty members clustered near the head of the table. After a few brief remarks, Hank asked the new faculty to introduce themselves. Alex took notes as they spoke; even if one of them wasn’t her favorite, she still cared about her job enough to make sure that everyone received proper mentorship. Maggie gave a slightly more robust introduction than Hank had provided, clarifying that she had done forensics work for Gotham’s Police Department while she got her doctorate and still planned to consult on cases as an expert witness, unwilling to retreat wholly into the ivory tower. The next professor, John Reilly, was a science historian fresh out of a PhD program who looked as though he might blend in with some of the upperclassmen with his tousled sandy blonde hair, thick-rimmed black glasses, and an eager smile. The final professor, Winn Schott, was also a dual appointment between Biology and Computer Science. Alex offered him a small smile; she already knew him as Kara’s good friend and had actually recommended him for the job—not that she would ever admit it to him. After the introductions were over, Hank explained how the Biology Department handled faculty mentorship and asked that each of the new professors find a time to meet with Alex in the week before classes started. With a curt nod, Hank motioned for Maggie, John, and Winn to follow him as he gave them a tour of NCU’s campus.

\----

A knock at the door pulled Alex out of her work. “It’s open,” she yelled, unwilling to leave her work after a long day of interruptions and unnecessary meetings. 

“I come bearing potstickers!” Kara squealed as she plopped down on the couch next to Alex. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem as excited about the potstickers as I am.”

“No one could ever be as excited about potstickers as you are,” Alex laughed. “No, I don’t know, it’s fine. Today was just a long day.”

“Want to talk about it? You’re normally so excited to head back for classes.” She couldn’t resist adding, “Nerd.” 

“Look who’s talking, Ms. I’ve never missed a day of work.”

“Totally different! Dean Grant needs my help, but you know I’m more excited about going out as Supergirl than I am about going into the office.”

“I beg to disagree…but sure we can pretend.” Alex had finally started to relax a little as she shut her laptop and moved her papers out of the way. “Now I believe I was promised food. Or did you eat it all on your way over here again?”

“Not this time! I got an order for the road,” she conceded.

“Good, maybe this time we can actually split an order 50/50.”

“Well, maybe 60/40? I did stop a car accident on my way over here.”

Alex just sighed as she went to get plates and a bottle of wine. She never did win a fight over food with her little sister, but she had gotten used to that years ago. 

“Tell me about Winn’s first day! Did he fit in? Was he excited? Were you nice to him? Alex, please tell me you were nice to him.”

“Relax, Kara, I was nice enough. Besides, he’s got one of the other new professors to take the brunt of my annoyance. And she actually deserves it. Not that he doesn’t, at least sometimes.”

“Who is she?” Kara asked, both genuinely concerned and a bit suspicious that perhaps Alex just hadn’t had her coffee.

“Maggie. Maggie Sawyer. I don’t know, she was a cop or something before she got here. Her work might be interesting enough, but she stole my mug. She’s brand new and the first thing she does is take my mug. Then she wouldn’t even apologize for it! And she has this smirk with these stupid dimples that I know she thinks are cute. And I have a meeting with her on Friday as the new faculty mentor, so I have to be nice.”

“Oh the burdens of professionalism. How ever will you survive?” Kara was cut off as Alex threw a pillow at her. “Hey, c’mon, Alex. You’ve dealt with worse. I’m sure she was just nervous since she’s new and all. When you meet with her later this week she’ll probably be a totally different person.” 

“I doubt it.” Seeing the look on Kara’s face, Alex quickly changed the topic to avoid conceding any points on a one Dr. Sawyer. “How was Cat today? Any fires you had to put out?”

“Well, yes, I put out a small restaurant kitchen fire on my lunch break, but no metaphorical fires if that’s what you’re asking. Cat was fine. She actually promoted me to something with donor relations. Apparently I have a look that says, ‘Give me all of your money!’ I’m not sure about it, but she also promised that I’ll get to help create some of the scholarships new grants might fund and read applications. I’m hoping that one day we could even have one for out alien students!”

Alex smiled at Kara’s seemingly endless optimism. Sometimes she wished she were more like her sister.

“Enough about my day. It’s movie time!”

\----

Friday rolled around much too quickly for Alex’s liking, and soon enough a calendar alert was flashing on her desktop to remind her that she was scheduled to meet with Maggie in 30 minutes—as if she could forget. Her meetings with the other two professors had gone well. John was nervous and asked a lot of questions about her experience as a new professor and the types of students they got in the Biology Department’s introductory classes. She and Winn had done their meeting out of the office at Noonan’s, but his questions were mainly about the types of technology and lab equipment NCU offered and how much time he should try to spend in each department. Alex suspected her meeting with Maggie would be far less straightforward. 

Just as the bells began to chime 4:00, Maggie Sawyer knocked at her door.

“Come in,” Alex motioned for her to sit. 

“I come with a peace offering,” Maggie smiled as she held out Alex’s mug. “It’s even good coffee from that little place down the street.” Seeing Alex fight a smile, Maggie continued, “You can’t stay mad at me forever, Danvers.”

“Don’t push your luck, Sawyer. I’ve been known to hold a grudge for decades. Just ask Tommy Jacobson.” Maggie looked at her questioningly. Alex clarified, “He stole my action figure in third grade, and I’ve never forgiven him.”

Maggie laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with grudges before. Even Darla talks to me again, even though she said she never would.”

“Did you steal her mug too?”

“Nah, she’s just an ex.”

“Oh. Oh, okay. Yeah, well, this is of course different. I mean, clearly, right, a mug is a bigger deal.”

Maggie relaxed. She had felt herself tense at Alex’s initial reaction. Growing up a non-white, non-straight kid in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, she’d dealt with a whole range of reactions to mentions of female partners. As she watched Alex grow increasingly flustered, Maggie started to wonder…but no, she was probably just getting her hopes up over nothing.

“So,” Alex cleared her throat, “Any questions for me? Classes start on Monday, as you know. Have you found the rooms you’re in yet? Rosters ready? Syllabi printed?”

“Relax, Danvers, I’ve stood in front of murderers and gone hand-to-hand with the creatures that nightmares are made of, I think I can handle some back to school jitters.” 

Alex rolled her eyes at the woman’s cockiness. “So then you know that Williams Hall, where you have your first class, has keycard only access? And you’ve already gotten a temporary card until your faculty badge is ready?”

“Nooo…” Maggie admitted, hating that she was missing something.

“Well, it looks like you needed a bit of mentorship after all. Come on, get up Sawyer, we’re going on a field trip.”

On their way out of the building, Alex and Maggie ran into Hank. When he heard that they were headed all the way to the other side of campus to deal with the notorious bureaucracy, he smiled and told them both to just go home afterward.

“That was nice of him,” Maggie noted.

After forty minutes of waiting for a card to be authorized despite the fact that three people were working and no one else was in line, Maggie realized that Hank was being less nice than realistic. Once she finally had the card, she had to admit (though certainly not aloud) that she was grateful for Alex’s help. Without the other woman she would never have known to come get a card and, even if she had figured that out, she certainly wouldn’t have known which person to intimidate to get her card printed within the hour. Sucking up her pride, Maggie turned to Alex and asked, “Well, as a token of my appreciation can I buy you a drink? There’s a little hole-in-the-wall place next to my building that I found while I was procrastinating on the whole unpacking thing.”

Alex was caught slightly off guard, but she figured why not? The woman had gone to some effort to get back on her good side, even if that just meant getting her decent coffee. “Lead the way, Sawyer.”

\---

Taking the bus further north than she had in a while, Alex was surprised to find that, despite living in the city for years, she wasn’t all that familiar with this part of town. “Where exactly are we?”

“North,” Maggie replied with a shit-eating grin, knowing that she hadn’t answered Alex’s question.

“Yeah, helpful. Seriously what’s the neighborhood?”

Maggie hesitated for a moment before replying truthfully, “I mean, there’s a formal name somewhere, but colloquially it’s just the gayborhood.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Definitely straight, Maggie thought to herself, slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t have a new queer friend in town. But at least she still had hopes for Winn. “You alright, Danvers?”

“Of course! Pfft, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know. You just seemed a little nervous?”

“No, just curious.” Alex didn’t mention that she had heard of National City’s gayborhood. That she had in fact looked it up one night during grad school after Facebook reminded her she was having some sort of friendiversary with Vicky Donahue. And then some light Google stalking led to the discovery that Vicky lived in National City. And was a grad student too, though not in the same department. And that she had lived in this particular part of town. Which had led Alex to wonder how things had changed for her since high school. But instead she chickened out, drank nearly half a bottle of whiskey alone, and passed out in her apartment. The next morning the only proof of her night had been a few tabs about the gayborhood, Vicky’s Facebook profile, and a website called Autostraddle that she had no memory of finding. She wondered what Vicky was doing now… Reminding herself that she was with someone Alex asked, “So you live up here?”

“Yep. Rent’s still a little cheaper, though you know within a few years the heteros will have run us out of our own neighborhood. Once the Whole Foods comes…” Alex looked confused. “Just, yeah, nevermind. We’ll chat about it later. Or not. Drinks!”

Alex looked up just in time to see Maggie stopping outside of a somewhat nondescript looking door.

“You coming?” Maggie asked.

“Oh, sure. I didn’t realize how literal you were being when you said it was a hole-in-the-wall type of place.” Following Maggie inside, Alex was surprised to find a somewhat sizeable crowd.

“What are you having?” 

“Whisk—” Alex started to reply before remembering that it was just happy hour with a brand new professor. “Beer is good, thanks.” 

“You were going to say whiskey though, right? Just barely 5pm. A woman after my own heart.”

Alex blushed, and Maggie cursed internally, thinking she really shouldn’t do anything that could be construed as flirty with her very straight coworker. She spun around and strode to the bar before Alex could say anything about it. Left alone and a bit confused, Alex took in her surroundings. It certainly wasn’t her usual crowd, but the vibe was one she could get used to. As her earlier thoughts came back to her, she had a moment of panic and scanned the crowd, looking for the strawberry blonde curls she could have picked out anywhere. She didn’t see them. Even though she was mainly relieved, a part of her was disappointed…Vicky had been her best friend after all. 

As Maggie walked back to the table Alex had claimed, she saw Alex frantically looking around. “Looking for someone?” she asked, just as Alex had spun her chair back to the table. 

“Oh, no. Well, yes. I don’t know if she’s still here, in the area, I mean, but I thought she might have been here.” 

Alex looked flustered, Maggie noticed. Did she know someone who might have been at a gay bar? A female someone? Maybe she had read Alex wrong… She shook the thought away, pushing one of the beers to Alex. “Cheers,” she said with a smile as she raised her bottle.

The two women ended up staying out much longer than Alex had planned, and it had been much more fun than Alex expected. During the lull between happy hour and the bar’s busy Friday night business, Maggie had challenged Alex to a game of pool, which she lost spectacularly, and then a game of darts, thankful that years of police training gave her a bit of an edge on throwing accuracy. As the late night scene began and the bar’s lights lowered, a DJ emerged as a dance floor seemed to appear out of nowhere. Once music began blasting out of the speakers, Maggie realized she should probably get Alex out. She knew what the bar looked like in full swing and she didn’t need to deal with whatever would result when the easily flustered Alex saw topless men and near-topless women take over the dance floor. 

Maggie led the way to the door as Alex trailed behind, looking over her shoulder at the growing crowd of bodies gathering at the bar. She turned back toward the door just in time to see a mass of curly strawberry blonde hair squeeze between two large men in leather. She pushed Maggie forward and got to the door as fast as she could. 

“You okay, Danvers? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“Something like that.”

Maggie didn’t expect that. “You okay? I live right around the corner if you need a minute.”

“No, no. Just a woman I used to know. It’s fine. I didn’t expect her.”

“Same woman you were looking for earlier?”

“No,” Alex snapped. She realized she was being a bit defensive and backed down, “Well, yes, yes actually she was.”

“Do you want to talk about her?”

Yes, she probably did. Or at least, she should. But Alex shook her head, “No, I’m good. It was just a surprise. Didn’t realize she was still in National City. Anyway, thanks for the drink, Sawyer. It was…nice.”

Maggie smiled back at Alex, dimples out on full display again. “It really was. I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Yeah. See you then.” Alex waved to Maggie as she hailed a cab to take her back home. She had questions that needed answers before she could sleep.

\---

Sitting with her computer in her lap, Alex froze. She didn’t know if she should call Kara. No, she decided, too many questions. She didn’t have many friends in the city. Or at all. She had acquaintances, but work kept her busy. But here she was, Vicky, one of her last best friends, her picture pulled up on Alex’s screen. Right next to a bio about her research and classes…at National City University’s Literature Department…just one building over from the science building. Apparently she was new faculty like Maggie. She had traveled for a couple years after finishing grad school but had just returned for a tenure-track appointment, which meant she was probably here to stay. It was just Alex’s luck. For now, the open bottle of Merlot would serve as a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most of the work is already written, so I'll post a fair number of chapters now, then switch to daily updates (trying to distract from the reality that is tomorrow's event...ugh)
> 
> Here we get some one-on-one time between Alex and Maggie and more of the backstory about what happened between Alex and Vicky back in high school.

Alex managed to distract herself all weekend with prepping for her Monday classes, emailing reminders to her new faculty mentees, and cleaning her apartment. By the time Monday rolled around, she at least took solace in how productive she had been. Both of her classes went well, even the one section of Intro to Bio she had gotten stuck taking over last minute for a sick colleague who wouldn’t be back until the spring semester. She certainly preferred her upperclassmen courses, but there was something special about getting to meet the freshmen on their very first day of classes, to see their eyes light up in excitement (and others looking panicked, probably the pre-med kids who were only in the class because their parents wanted a doctor in the family). By the time she was done with her classes, it was nearly 2:30 and her stomach had started to growl. She ran back to her office to drop off her books before heading to Noonan’s for lunch. When she got to her office, she found Maggie sitting in the chair outside her door. “Office hours don’t start till Wednesday,” Alex couldn’t help teasing the new professor.

“Lucky for you, I don’t have any class-related questions. But I do need to know where to eat. I left my sandwich at home, and now I’m starving.”

Alex hesitated. She sort of liked having some time alone, but since she wouldn’t have her usual office hours this afternoon, she figured she could wait to do work until then. “Well, I’m headed down to Noonan’s for lunch myself. Care to join?”

“That would be great actually. Thanks!” Maggie was surprised. Even though they’d had fun on Friday, the night had ended on a weird note, and Maggie wasn’t sure if their hanging out outside of the office would be a one-time thing. She found herself hoping it wouldn’t be.

As they walked off campus, Alex pointed out a few of the key locations that might not have been mentioned on Hank’s official campus tour. She showed her the two bars that were overrun by students 24/7 and should be avoided at all costs. She pointed out the best place for cheap pizza—a gold standard for hangover cures—and a bookstore that carried all kinds of rare finds. They soon arrived at Noonan’s, a place frequented by staff from both the university and local businesses. Luckily they had missed the lunchtime rush and were seated almost immediately at a table near the back windows. Over lunch, Alex asked Maggie how her first day of classes had gone and was pleased to hear that the students were well-behaved and that Maggie had enjoyed everything so far. They talked about their weekends and plans for the next few days. When Alex mentioned Kara, they got to talking about their families, and before Alex knew it, she realized she had talked more about her personal life to Maggie than she had to anyone other than Kara in many years. Somehow she just felt comfortable around the other woman, and it felt nice for a change—not forced.

When Alex glanced up at the counter to see how long the line was—she was already in need of another coffee—she was shocked to see the same head of strawberry blonde hair that had freaked her out so much on Friday night. Even though she knew with Vicky working at the university some sort of run in was inevitable, she had hoped to have a few more weeks to prepare. Maggie noticed the change in Alex’s behavior almost immediately. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, uhm, nothing, but maybe we should leave. Or no, maybe I should leave. Well, actually, I’d have to walk that way…no, no, I should stay here. Do you have a menu?” Alex was clearly flustered—even more so than Friday night—and Maggie was a bit concerned. Maggie looked around, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She did see a woman in line look over at them, then wave. Alex looked like she might die.

“Alex, does this, uhm, reaction of yours have anything to do with the cute blonde waving at you?”

“She’s waving?” Alex sounded panicked.

“Yes. Is that a bad thing? Here, I’ll wave back for you,” and she did, sending a small wave with a confused smile in the direction of the other woman. “Oh, it looks like she’s coming over here.” When Maggie turned back to Alex she noticed that Alex had a bright red flush creeping up her chest and neck. She was dying to know what the connection between these two was, but also felt guilty for helping to draw the woman over to them.

“Alex Danvers?” the woman checked with a smile.

“Guilty,” Alex chuckled. “It’s been a long time, Vicky.”

“So many years. I thought I saw you the other night actually, up in, well, no, it probably wasn’t you.”

Oh, Maggie thought, this must be the woman from the bar on Friday! Oh shit, she realized, then it was definitely not a good thing that she had waved her over to their table. Trying desperately to help Alex out, Maggie reached out a hand and introduced herself, “Maggie Sawyer, new professor here at NCU. In the Biology Department with Alex, and also the Law School for one class.”

Vicky turned her attention to Maggie, “Vicky Donahue, also a new professor but in the Lit Department. Nice to meet you, Maggie.” She turned her attention back to Alex. “I really need to get back to campus for my next class, but we should do something, Al, maybe get drinks later this week? What’s in the past is in the past, right?”

Alex could barely get words out, but she nodded and stuttered, “S-sure. Number’s still the same.”

“Great,” Vicky said with a smile as she spun around to head out of the restaurant.

After a few minutes of silence and once Alex’s skin tone had started to return to its normal color, Maggie asked, “Do you want to tell me what that was about?”

“Can the answer be no?”

“It can be. But should it be?”

“Honestly? Probably not. But if we’re going to talk about Vicky, I need something stronger than coffee.” Looking down at her watch, Alex was shocked to find how much time had gone by. “I need to get back to my office to finish up a few things before I leave. Want to meet at 6? It’s your call. No one needs to listen to someone else’s high school drama,” Alex laughed, though her smile looked more like a grimace.

“Hey, it’s what friends are for, right? Plus, I’m sure I can match your stories with some of my own.”

Alex was pleasantly surprised to hear Maggie call her a friend. “Alright, yeah. I’ll meet you out front if you want a ride.”

“See you in a couple hours, Danvers.”

\---

At 6pm, Alex was already regretting her decision to share with Maggie. She didn’t even really know what happened with Vicky, so why was she trying to tell someone else? She pulled her motorcycle around to the intersection at the front of campus where she saw Maggie waiting. Maggie’s eyes went wide at the site of Alex Danvers pulling up on a Ducati with an extra helmet in hand.

“You expect me to get on the back of your bike?”

“What, scared?”

“Maggie Sawyer does not get scared. But she also doesn’t ride on the back of a motorcycle.”

“But she does talk about herself in the third person?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Come on, I’m baring my embarrassing high school secrets to you. The least you can do is get on the back so we can get out of here before we run into anyone again.”

“Fine,” Maggie conceded before wrapping herself around her coworker. As Alex took off, Maggie reminded herself to play it cool. She was a colleague. A more senior colleague. A heterosexual, more senior colleague. But she was also wearing a leather jacket zipping through traffic on a really nice motorcycle. And Maggie could feel Alex’s muscles tensing and releasing beneath her grip. And dammit if she didn’t have a type.

Finally they pulled up outside a brick building in a slightly quieter part of town. “Where are we?” Maggie asked.

“Oh, my place.” Alex suddenly thought this was a bad choice. It seemed forward, overly open. But Maggie had offered to let Alex come back to her place. And Alex had sweatpants and liquor in her apartment—both of which were absolutely necessary if she was going to be talking about Vicky.

Even though a thrill went through Maggie at the chance to go upstairs with the woman whose physical attractiveness she was increasingly aware of, she played it cool, nodded her head, and followed Alex into the entryway.

Alex’s apartment was interesting. She had a beautiful fireplace, but most of her furniture looked barely used. She had stacks of paper on a desk that looked like it saw more action than any other surface in the apartment. The kitchen looked spotless. Maggie wondered if Alex liked the clean or just didn’t use it. Then there was a door, slightly ajar, that Maggie assumed led into Alex’s bedroom. She wondered what that looked like for a minute before chiding herself. She didn’t need to be thinking about her coworkers like that.

“So Vicky…” Maggie began, hoping Alex would start talking.

“No. Nope. Not so easy. First, sweatpants. Then, wine. Last, talking.”

“And I have to stay in dress clothes. I’m starting to think I drew the short straw, Danvers.”

“You can borrow a pair,” Alex offered. She realized she hadn’t actually thought about Maggie’s comfort too much. “And to make up for it, you can pick a restaurant for takeout.”

So it was probably that she didn’t use her kitchen, Maggie decided.

Alex threw a pair of Stanford University sweatpants out at Maggie. “Bathroom is that door over there. And whenever you feel like food, the menu drawer is right next to the fridge.”

Maggie decided she was more curious about Alex’s habits than she was uncomfortable in work clothes. After all, she was used to long stakeouts in clothing even less comfortable than this. She padded into the kitchen and opened the menu drawer to see what kinds of food Alex liked. She also opened the fridge and a few cabinets. Definitely a takeout kind of girl. Other than some alcohol, ice cream, and a few granola bars, the kitchen was pretty bare. When she heard Alex heading back to the living room from her bedroom, Maggie scurried to the bathroom to change into the borrowed sweatpants, and she just left on the white v-neck she had been wearing underneath her button up shirt and blazer during the day.

When Maggie came out of her bathroom, Alex’s heart sped up for a minute. The shorter woman looked, in a word, adorable. Though when she got closer, Alex noticed that the shirt left her with a nice view of—nothing, nope, nothing, Alex corrected herself. She was noticing nothing.

Once the food was ordered and the wine poured, the two women settled into the couch. Maggie again tried to broach the topic. “So, tell me about Vicky.”

“Ugh. I guess this is why you’re here. Or the free food. I’m not sure. But fine. Well…Vicky. She and I were best friends. The kind where you share everything and see each other all of the time.”

Maggie listened as Alex talked about how they met and bonded over shared passions. How Alex had gone to Vicky’s track meets and Vicky had gone to her volleyball matches and how they passed notes all through class, then met to do homework after school. So far, Maggie noted, there was nothing that could have inspired the type of reaction that she saw today. In her own experience that type of fumbling anxiety was reserved for exes. Oh, it dawned on her, maybe Alex wasn’t quite as straight as she had assumed. She tentatively pressed Alex on what changed, asking, “So how did she go from your best friend to someone you could barely talk to?”

“Well,” Alex blushed and filled her wine glass nearly to the brim, “Senior year, things changed.”

“How so?”

Taking a large gulp of wine, Alex continued, “I don’t sound great here, but I promise, this was so long ago. I’m not that person anymore.”

“I know. I’m not the same person I was in high school anymore either. I almost got kicked out for fighting back then, but I grew up to be a cop, then a professor. People change; I get it.”

“So, neither of us had really dated seriously. We’d both gone on dates with random guys, but nothing lasted. I was okay with it; I was more focused on getting into a good college and getting away from home for a while than anything romantic. Well, after prom, once we sent our dates home, Vicky came back to my place to sleep over.”

Maggie thought she knew where this story might be headed, but she stayed quiet.

“And so we got in my bed, like normal. And we’d had a few drinks at the after party, but it wasn’t like we were totally wasted or anything.” Though now Alex seemed a bit closer to drunk than she might have been back then. “I just, no, it’s not important. I don’t know after that things just got weird and a few weeks later, around graduation, we had a big fight. Then we left for college and fell out of touch.”

Even though Maggie got the reluctance to share anything overly personal, she knew Alex wasn’t telling her anything remotely close to the true story. “Danvers, c’mon, you brought me over here, bought be food, and have had almost an entire bottle of wine to yourself already. How about you tell me what actually happened that night?”

“You’re annoying, you know that?”

“Yet you keep hanging out with me.” Maggie smiled at Alex, who just rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know, I mean, it’s not that I have a problem with gay people, but…” No, no no, already she wasn’t getting it right. “Let me try again. Well, we clearly hadn’t gone to bed with our dates. But there was a thing about getting laid after senior prom. It’s tradition, ya know? And no, not everyone does it. Kara certainly didn’t! But I wanted some part of my high school experience to be normal. I had this adopted sister and took classes too seriously to really get the ‘high school experience,’ but I sort of wanted to have that night. But once I sent Tim, or was it Tom? Jake? I don’t remember. Anyways, once I sent him home, I sort of figured I blew my chances. And I was talking to Vicky about this up in bed, and well, I don’t know, she said something about how we could still get that prom night.”

Maggie nodded knowingly and encouraged Alex to continue.

“Well, I was a little confused. But she said it was just fun. And so many people did it in college. And it wouldn’t change anything because we’d still be best friends.”

Maggie wondered if Alex had been the straight girl who gave her gay best friend a wonderful night then broke her heart, or if she’d been the unknowing lesbian who ended up feeling so much more than the friend. But then she remembered that they had seen Vicky at a gay bar, and suddenly Maggie felt more kinship with Vicky. She’d been there. She’d been the one in love with a straight girl. But she tried to be there for her new friend, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt, to hear from her perspective.

“And so, we did. But things did change. It wasn’t like she had said. Because it was, no it meant something. It was fun, sure, but it also felt like everything was different. And then suddenly people had questions for me, saying they had heard things. And next thing I know Vicky is telling me she’s gay and how great it is that we can be together because she was so sure I was too. And I just couldn’t. Because I’m not.”

“Not what?” Maggie asked.

“Not gay.”

“Really?” Maggie tried to keep the smirk off her face, but she knew it was there.

Alex regretted saying anything to Maggie. “I’m not gay.”

“So you just had gay sex and loved it, but you’re 100% straight?”

Alex took a deep breath. “It’s better this way, okay? My family has enough to deal with.”

Suddenly Maggie realized that the story she had tried to fit Vicky and Alex into wasn’t right at all. She saw the burst of sadness and regret in Alex’s eyes. She heard the quiet determination in her voice as she denied all of the feelings she might have had for Vicky. For what? For her family’s sake? She grabbed Alex’s hands with her own. “Alex, look at me. Please, look at me.” Watery eyes finally met hers. “Alex, your family does not get to dictate your happiness. You deserve to be honest with yourself. Your family deserves to see you happy and honest and living authentically too.”

Alex shook her head.

“Alex, did you like Vicky?”

After a few quiet moments, Alex whispered, “I loved her.”

“It sounds like she loved you too, right?”

“Yeah, maybe. But I was terrible to her Maggie. And it’s not like I love her now, but I just, she keeps showing up and making me think about these things that could have been or shouldn’t have been.”

“Alex, you didn’t do anything wrong. You fell in love with someone. Love is love. You had sex with someone. You don’t need to feel guilty about it, I promise. You’re okay.”

“I don’t know. Maybe that works for you. But I’m sure it was just a thing, just that one person, you know. It was one night that I’ve made into something bigger in my memory, and now I’m convincing myself that some feelings or something stupid like that were a bigger deal”

Maggie cut off Alex’s rambling: “It’s not a phase, Alex. You don’t just forget that someone meant something to you. You don’t invent love. Maybe you try to forget it or tell yourself that it was hormones or youth or alcohol, but you don’t make it up out of nothing. You don’t end up well on your way to drunk in pajamas on the couch spilling your heart out to someone you just met over imaginary emotions.”

Alex seemed to sober at that statement. “Right, right. Sorry for putting all of this on you. Just, forget it. It’s my thing. I’ll deal with it later, but I should be getting to work. I have tests to make for classes and papers to edit.”

“I’m sure your students would really love to see whatever questions your drunk ass would come up with, but I think tonight is probably out. Let’s put away the wine and get you some water and a snack. Now do you even keep food in this show kitchen of yours?”

“Yes, I just haven’t been to a store in a little while,” Alex explained, feeling a bit defensive. “There’s ice cream in the freezer, and I’m sure there’s peanut butter or something in the fridge.”

After a few seconds of rustling, Alex looked up to see Maggie bent over in her fridge. She didn’t mind the view from behind. Maggie’s words brought her back to her senses: “Danvers, there is an empty jar of peanut butter in your fridge. That and some expired eggs. What the hell do you eat?”

“Erm, I think the eggs are still sort of good. There was milk, but I think I finished that and the cereal this morning. The empty jar reminds me I need to get more!”

“That is the worst grocery list system I’ve ever heard of. No wonder you have nothing to eat.”

“I see you holding ice cream, Sawyer. Clearly there is something to eat.”

“Fine, fine.” Maggie shuffled over to Alex and held out the container with a big spoon. She figured it was that kind of night. “Do you want to talk a little more?”

“No.”

“Okay…do you want to watch something? Or I can head home too if you promise to eat that ice cream and drink water before you go to bed.”

Alex was a bit confused by how much Maggie seemed to care about her not being hungover. She was also surprised to find that she didn’t particularly want her to leave. “I guess we can watch something?”

“Sounds good. Now do I get some dessert too?”

“Go get a spoon. And the remote! And figure out what you want to watch before you sit back down.”

“Bossy,” Maggie teased. Even if Alex wasn’t ready to admit that she wasn’t straight, she thought she might give her a bit of a gay education. “What kind of movie do you want to watch? Rom coms? Drama?”

After a few minutes of thought, Alex replies, “Maybe action-y? But I want something funny.”

“I have just the thing. It’s campy and all about girl power and, yeah, you’ll see.” She pulled up her Amazon account and pressed play on D.E.B.S. without letting Alex stop to read the description. “Trust me, you’ll like it.” Alex wasn’t so sure, but she figured she’d give Maggie a chance.

As the movie started, Alex tilted the ice cream toward Maggie, generously (she thought) offering her the first bite. Even with the food, Alex started feeling the effects of the wine and curled up, pulling a pillow into her chest. The movie was goofy too, and she couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of four teenage girls on swings being called a stakeout. She started to say as much before Maggie shushed her. “Just let yourself enjoy the movie, Danvers.”

When Lucy Diamond came on the screen, Alex surprised Maggie (and herself) by giggling, “She’s cute!”

Maggie smirked. “Yeah she is.”

A little while later Alex gasped, “She’s gay! What? Wait…are you showing me only gay movies?”

“Relax, Danvers. It’s not a gay movie; it’s a _great_  movie with a gay character.” She’d let the second gay character be a surprise.

Alex didn’t seem to mind that much and settled back down, letting her head fall onto Maggie’s shoulder. Maggie’s heartbeat sped up, but she chastised herself; this wasn’t a date. Just because she’d normally start making a move right about now didn’t mean that Alex was angling for that.

A few minutes before the end of the movie Maggie heard soft snoring coming from her shoulder. She looked over to see Alex sleeping peacefully, head nestled into Maggie’s neck. Carefully, she maneuvered herself out from under Alex and pulled a blanket over the taller woman. She paused the movie, turned off the TV, and left a glass of water out for Alex before heading out.

The next morning, Maggie woke up to a text: “Watched the rest of the movie when I woke up. Not a bad hangover cure.” A few minutes later a second text came in: “And thanks for you know.”

Maggie quickly sent back a reply. “Anytime. But next time I’m cooking because I think you’ve had enough takeout for a lifetime.” She hoped it didn’t sound too forward, but was pleasantly surprised when a new text came in quickly: “Sounds fun. But for my last act of takeout, let me bring you a coffee and bagel to work? It’s my fault you were out so late on a school night.” As if anticipating Maggie telling her she didn’t need to worry about it, she sent, “And as your faculty mentor, I know you’ve got your weekly seminar at the Law School to teach today.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Danvers sister bonding! And we finally get more of Vicky as a character

Saturday morning Alex woke up bright and early. She had spent all Friday afternoon distracting herself as her mind kept drifting back to Maggie and her date. She had organized all of her papers, written out next steps for a few of her long-term projects, and done her laundry. Hell, she’d even gone out to get some groceries and voluntarily called her mother. She started drinking while on the phone with Eliza—it always helped. Then she’d just had another glass or two before falling asleep at 9. So it only made sense that she was up this early, but she wasn’t quite ready to let herself think about why she had needed all of the distractions. So she threw on shorts and a tank top, laced up her running shoes, and headed down to the park. There was nothing like a good run complete with hill sprints to make her mind go blank. And by the time she got back to her apartment she really did feel better. A bit nauseous, though she blamed last night’s wine for that, but still better. She sent a quick text to Kara before hopping into the shower.

By the time Alex had gotten dressed, she had just a few minutes before Kara was set to arrive. Trying to be a good big sister, she called in for two large orders of potstickers to be delivered. A few minutes later a wind and a whooshing noise alerted her to Kara’s arrival.

“Off saving lives this morning?”

“Always!” Kara gave her a cheery smile. “How was your morning? Do you have anything to eat?”

“Food is on its way. And it was okay. I went for a run, which was nice, and tonight I’m supposed to meet Maggie for dinner.”

“Maggie? Isn’t she the one who stole your mug?”

“Yes. But I figured I should give her another chance. She did buy me coffee to make up for it.”

“Good! I’m proud of you giving her a second chance.”

“Yeah, yeah. But what about you? How’s the promotion going?”

“It’s different. But I think I like it. I know it’s weird to say, but I actually miss working with Dean Grant so closely. She could be mean, but I think we got each other.”

“Yes, you and only you found Cat to be quite endearing.” Alex didn’t actually mind Cat, but she’d seen a few too many angry outbursts at faculty senate meetings to want to spend all day every day with the woman. “What about the fancy gala last night? Did you go woo everyone into handing over their checkbooks?”

“It’s really not just about money.” Alex rolled her eyes. She loved her sister’s desire to see the best in everyone, but sometimes she could really be a bit naïve. Kara, having seen Alex’s reaction, defended her sentiment, “No really. Think about how great it would be to give more students scholarships and the opportunity to go to school and succeed. I got lucky enough to be adopted by a human family who knew all about schools and life on Earth, but not everyone gets that sort of life.”

“I know, Kara. Sorry, I just know how much else is involved in funding a university and find it hard to see things as purely as you do. But tell me about the rich and famous you dined with last night.”

“Well, it was hosted by Lena Luthor—”

“Excuse me!”

“No, no. I knew you would be like this, but she’s really different from her brother.”

“You mean her mass-murdering, alien-hating brother who tried to kill your own cousin more times than I can count?”

“Yes, but she’s not him. Really. She was sweet. She’s not perfect, but she doesn’t think that aliens should have to leave the country or anything like that. She respects Superman and Supergirl—she said so herself.”

“Well yeah, you go around lifting cats out of trees and kissing babies. Of course she has to say that you’re great when she’s out in public.”

“I wish that you would try to get to know her before you jump to conclusions. And maybe you will. She’s really interested in science education and thinks she might want to make a large donation. Who knows, maybe you’ll be meeting her soon enough?”

Before Alex could reply, they heard a knock at the door. Looking through it with her x-ray vision, Kara spotted the potstickers and ran at superspeed to let the deliveryman in. Giving him a generous tip, she sent him on his way as she inhaled her first potsticker before even making it to the kitchen. “You going to share at all, Kara?”

“Yeah, yeah, get yourself a plate.”

The two spent the next couple of hours chatting and catching up on this week’s episode of Homeland. While they were watching Alex’s phone vibrated with a text from Maggie: “How do you feel about coming back up to the gayborhood again? I promise you a home-cooked meal for your troubles.” Alex shook her head and texted back, “Why not. See you at 7?” A few seconds later Maggie texted back, “Can’t wait.”

“Who’re you texting?” Kara asked, leaning into Alex’s side of the sofa.

“None of your business!”

“C’mon, your heart is beating faster. I want to know who it is? Is it John, that new professor? Winn said he was cute!”

“No. And no, I’m not telling you. Also it’s rude to use your powers to spy on other people!”

“You don’t mind it when I do it to the annoying woman at Noonan’s who always cuts in front of us in line!” Kara shot back.

“Yes well…that’s different. I’m your sister.”

“And I’m just doing what little sisters do best.” Kara winked at Alex, but left it alone. She’d come back to it later; she wasn’t one to forget.

\---

Pulling her bike up to Maggie’s block, Alex started scanning the streets for parking. She spotted one just a few buildings away from Maggie’s and quickly parked her bike, not wanting to leave the other woman waiting. As she added money to the meter, she heard a familiar voice.

“Didn’t expect to find you in this neighborhood, Alex.”

“Hi Vicky. Just visiting a friend.”

“Right…same friend you were with at the bar up here last week? And at Noonan’s on Monday?”

“Er, yes. Same one. Just good friends.”

“C’mon, Al. Didn’t you get over that defensive thing a long time ago?”

Alex sighed. She really didn’t need this right now. “Sorry, I’m running a little late, that’s all.”

“It’s fine, I’m just teasing you.” Though she also meant it. They weren’t in a suburban high school anymore. Alex should really get over the whole gay panic thing. “But you still owe me coffee. How about tomorrow? Prove to me you aren’t too defensive to be seen with a dyke.” She hadn’t planned to be so direct, but the memories of high school flashed back and led her to challenge Alex, to make her feel just a little uncomfortable.

“Right…yeah, I did promise that. I guess tomorrow is as good a day as any.”

“Sounds good. There’s a little café right around the corner,” Vicky pointed down the block toward the bar she had gone to with Maggie the other day. “Meet me there at 10?”

“Okay. See you then, Vicky.” Alex wasn’t quite sure how this had happened, but she figured she’d deal with it tomorrow. She really needed to be getting up to Maggie’s apartment; she was actually late now. With a quick wave she walked quickly away from Vicky.

Taking a second to calm her breathing from running up all five flights of stairs, Alex paused outside of Maggie’s door, then finally knocked.

“I thought you might’ve gotten lost, Danvers. Didn’t peg you for one to be late.”

“Sorry, I’m not normally late. I ran into someone. Vicky, actually.” Alex figured if she was going to be honest with anyone, it might as well be Maggie, the only person who knew the full backstory.

“Ah, how was that?”

“Shitty,” Alex chuckled. At a certain point, she just needed to laugh at her bad timing. “We’re getting coffee tomorrow morning.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“Like I don’t want to think about it right now.”

“Fair enough. Well, I’m just about done cooking dinner if you wanna put your stuff down over there,” Maggie motioned to a table.

“Thanks. But enough about me. How are you? How was the date?”

“Eh…not great.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She wasn’t really sorry.

“I don’t know. She was fine. We made conversation enough through dinner, but then this morning we just didn’t have anything to say to each other. Probably won’t see her again.”

Alex coughed. So the mystery date had spent the night. With Maggie. She felt a bit nauseous.

“You alright over there, Danvers?” Maggie yelled from the stove where she was pulling something out of the oven. It smelled delicious.

“Yeah, yeah, just thirsty that’s all.”

Maggie smirked. She didn’t think that was really it, but she wouldn’t press it for now. “There’s a water pitcher in the fridge and cups are right in that cabinet to your left. Do you want to serve yourself or should I just make the plates?”

“You can do it. I’ll grab two cups of water.” Alex carried the water over to the table and had just sat down when Maggie placed a plate of cheese enchiladas in front of her. “Oh my god. This smells amazing, Maggie.”

Maggie smiled. “I bet it tastes better than the boxed shit you buy too.”

“I’ll have you know, my boxed shit has been just fine for years, thank you very much.” But then she took a bite and moaned at how good it tasted. “No, okay, you’re right. This is better. This is so much better.”

Not thinking, Maggie licked her lips at the sounds Alex was making. She could think of a few other ways to make her moan like that again. No, she corrected herself. Alex is a friend. She shouldn’t fuck that up like she did with all the girls she dated.

After giving Alex a brief overview of the recipe—one passed down from her grandmother—they lapsed into a comfortable silence. They chatted briefly about how classes had gone, if there were any particularly promising (or frustrating) students yet, but mainly they just ate and kept each other company. After seconds, Maggie moved to clear their plates, but Alex jumped to help. “Let me. It’s the least I can do after you cooked.” Not one to object, Maggie let Alex take the plates, but kept her company as she washed them.

“So what do you want to do tonight?” Maggie asked. “We could go out to one of the bars or stay in and watch another movie.”

After her third run in with Vicky, Alex really didn’t want to chance one of the local bars. “A movie sounds perfect.”

“I have just the one in mind.” Maggie pulled out a copy of Carol. “It’s perfect to continue your education.”

“My education?”

“In the cultural history of our people.”

“And our people are?”

“C’mon, Danvers. Work with me here. You had to have seen the ads or at least reviews of Carol.”

“Yes, I did, but I told you the other day, I’m not gay.”

“Okay then,” Maggie pushed, “We won’t say our people are gay women. We’ll say that they’re women who enjoy sleeping with other women.” She smirked at the expression on Alex’s face, but continued. “I enjoy sex with women. Carol enjoys sex with women. You enjoy—or at least enjoyed—sex with a woman. Embrace the call of your people!”

Alex made a humph noise, but stopped protesting as she settled into Maggie’s couch. “Fine, play the movie.”

Within half an hour, Alex was enraptured with the film. The beautiful cinematography helped, but it was the storyline she found so compelling. And Cate Blanchett…well, she didn’t think you needed to be a lesbian to see how hot she was.

When they reached the night in Waterloo, Maggie peered over at Alex just in time to catch the redhead biting her lip as she stared at the two women gently making love to one another. Part of Maggie wanted to laugh, but another part of her was too turned on to disturb the moment. She had beautiful women on her television screen and an even more stunning woman sitting beside her on the couch, clearly enjoying the scene. Maggie crossed her legs, attempting to relieve some of the tension that had been building during the evening. “Colleague. Friend. Colleague. Friend,” Maggie repeated to herself as a mantra of sorts until the scene ended.

She watched as Alex grew visibly angry, then as she began to cry softly during Carol’s meeting with the lawyer and Harge. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything to draw attention to Alex’s emotions, but she thought it would be the right thing. Pausing the movie, Maggie drew closer to Alex, tentatively placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder before asking her if she was okay.

“I’m fine, I didn’t mean to cry.”

“It’s okay, I cried the first time I saw it too. Promise it doesn’t make you any less badass,” Maggie offered with a smile.

“It’s just, this is why I can’t be, you know. It ruins families and it’s so much for everyone.”

“Hey, hey, no, Alex, look at me.” Maggie turned Alex to face her. “Please look at me, Alex. Carol did not ruin that family. Harge did. And the culture did. The intolerance that wouldn’t let Carol live her own life ruined lives, not Carol’s love for Therese.”

Alex gave a small nod, but didn’t seem particularly convinced.

“Things have changed. It’s a brave new world out there. It’s not perfect, but I could get married if I ever found a woman that made it past a few dates.” She laughed before continuing, “You could too, you know?”

“But I’m sure I could make it work with a man too, and it would be so much easier,” Alex bit back a quiet sob.

“But would you be happy like that?”

“Maybe.”

“Really? When is the last time you were with a man?”

“In what way?”

“I don’t care, I really don’t want to think about heterosexuality all that in depth, Danvers.”

Alex chuckled. “I don’t know I went on a few dates with this guy Max last year. But I haven’t had sex in so long.” Realizing that what she said might have been inappropriate, Alex jumped to continue, “That doesn’t matter though. Are you hungry? Dessert?”

“Relax. I literally just told you earlier today that I had sex on a first date last night.”

“Valid.”

“But okay, did you like Max?”

“God no.”

“Isn’t that a bit of a sign?”

“No, no. That’s a Max-specific thing.”

“Okay, well what about the other guys?”

“They were pretty much all drunken one night stands.”

“Well, did you enjoy yourself?”

“I don’t really remember, but I don’t think so. But I was also really drunk. This was in grad school a few years ago.”

“Well, what about having sex with a guy sober?”

“Oh I don’t think I’ve done that voluntarily.”

“Danvers…are you not seeing a pattern here?”

“I had a few drinks before going to bed with Vicky too. So there.”

“But you said you weren’t drunk?”

“No…but drinking.”

Maggie wondered when that wasn’t the case, but didn’t say anything for now. Alex hadn’t had anything to drink tonight, so who was she to judge. “Okay, but you said it was fun, right?”

“Yeah.” Alex couldn’t help a small smile.

“Look, I’m not going to press you anymore on this, but maybe you should think about your answers later.”

Alex shifted and gave what might have been a small shrug of her shoulders before hitting play.

At the end of the film, Alex shoved Maggie, asking, “Wait! That can’t be the ending. Is there more?”

“Read the book, Danvers. It’s still a little ambiguous but not as much as the movie.”

“Fine,” Alex grumbled. Looking down at her watch and seeing that it was late but not that late, Alex asked, “Do you have anything where the lesbian gets a happy ending?”

“Honestly? There’s not much. But here, I have one I think you’ll like. You sure you wanna sit through another movie?”

Alex didn’t really want to leave, though she wouldn’t admit to it. “Well, you haven’t fed me dessert yet…”

“You do recall that you fed me takeout and then ice cream straight from a carton, right?”

“An Alex Danvers specialty, yes.”

“God, one day I’ll teach you to cook.” The thought of a future like that startled Maggie, even as she said it. But she brought her attention back to the conversation. “There are some brownies I made the other night in a Tupperware on the counter if you want to grab them. And if you need your daily ice cream to survive, I think there might be some in the freezer.”

Alex was already halfway to the kitchen, humming happily at the thought of all of the food. And more importantly, all of the food that didn’t need to be shared with Kara, who felt that an 80/20 ratio was pretty fair for someone with a Kryptonian metabolism. She made it back to the couch with a pint of ice cream, two spoons, and a plate of brownies just as Imagine Me & You began. Maggie almost told Alex she could have gotten bowls, but found she didn’t mind sharing. Or feeling Alex’s fingers glance against hers as she passed the container back and forth.

\---

Alex woke with a start and promptly rolled onto the floor. She pulled the blanket off of her face and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. A second later she heard a sleepy, “What’s that?” coming from the other end of the couch, as Maggie sat up and rubbed her neck, which was more than a little sore from having spent the night curled on her couch. “Why are you on the floor, Danvers?”

Alex was still a bit confused. She looked around the room before remembering that she had been watching a movie with Maggie last thing she remembered—a movie whose home screen was still glowing on the television. “Fell off the couch. It’s a bit narrow for two.” She grabbed for her phone, seeing a few missed texts from Kara and then one from Vicky and shit! It was already 9 and she was supposed to be meeting Vicky for coffee in just an hour and she hadn’t had any time to think about what to wear or say or do and now she wouldn’t even have time to go back to her apartment to shower.

Seeing the panic on Alex’s face, Maggie asked if she was okay.

“No, I’m not okay! I have to go see Vicky in 57 minutes, and I have no idea what to do. Maybe I should cancel.”

“No, you are not cancelling on the girl whose heart you broke in high school.”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t. Because I’m putting waffles in the toaster for you. And I’m going to let you borrow a towel and take a shower too.”

“Fine. I don’t hate you. But seriously what am I supposed to do?”

“I would advise getting in the shower fast so your hair has some time to dry before coffee.”

“Right!” And with that Alex was running to the bathroom. A minute later, Maggie heard the water turn on and the glass door pull shut. She wondered if Alex had thought to let the water warm up before she adjusted the temperature. Almost on cue, Alex let out a shrill yell as Maggie heard something heavy slam. Without thinking she ran into the bathroom only to see Alex throwing herself out of shower, clearly having scalded herself once the water heater kicked in.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I should’ve warned you about the water temperature! Are you okay?”

“Apparently this is just how today is going to go,” Alex mumbled, laughing darkly to herself. Until she realized she had thrown herself out of the shower. Which meant that she was still butt ass naked. In front of Maggie. Maggie seemed to realize that too as she covered her eyes, yelling that she hadn’t seen anything. And truth be told, she really wasn’t paying attention. Or she wasn’t until Alex had turned around to get back in the shower, drawing Maggie’s attention to the very toned, very naked woman in her bathroom and the very perfect ass that was making its way back into the water.

Maggie stammered as she tried to pick her jaw up off the ground. “I promise I didn’t see anything really. I’m gonna just go. I’ll get you a towel. Yeah. And then I’ll just toss it in here. Right. I’m sorry. So sorry.”

Alex was humiliated. But on the plus side, it did provide a distraction from the panic she had ben feeling about seeing Vicky. Meanwhile, Maggie was cursing herself for having peeked at Alex’s ass. It was sort of worth it, but no, no, she corrected herself, Alex was a colleague and she should not be encouraging those sorts of thoughts. Even if Alex wasn’t exactly straight, she still had a while to go before she would get to being comfortable with being queer.

When Alex came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, now dressed with her wet hair the only reminder of the shower incident, Maggie could barely look at her. Attempting to diffuse the tension, Alex joked, “And here I thought you’d be used to naked women in your apartment.”

Maggie just grimaced. “Alex, I’m really sorry. I was worried that you had gotten hurt or something and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Seriously I know. You’ve been nothing but good to me. Plus, I did burn myself on your stupid shower, so you weren’t exactly wrong in running to my rescue.”

Maggie seemed to accept what Alex had said and offered her the plate of waffles in a form of penance. “Eat up, don’t want to keep Vicky waiting.”

“Please don’t remind me.” After a few minutes, though, Alex realized she did need to go. After getting directions and a hug from Maggie, she took a deep breath and headed down the stairs.

\---

Alex got to the café a few minutes early, happy to have a chance to catch her breath and get a bit of caffeine in her system before Vicky arrived. Just as she was starting to relax, Vicky pulled out the chair on the other side of the table.

“Same clothes as last night? You still want to tell me that woman’s just a friend?”

Surprised by the start to their conversation, Alex got defensive. “She is. I fell asleep at her house watching a movie, and she was nice enough to let me sleep on her couch.” There was no need to tell Vicky that they had been watching a lesbian rom-com or that they had both slept on the couch.

“Sure, just like I slept over your house after prom.”

“Really? I thought you wanted to get coffee and catch up, not interrogate me.”

“Sorry, I do. I just, I don’t know, apparently I’m still a little bitter.”

Alex’s voice softened. “I deserve that. I’m really sorry.”

Clearly Vicky hadn’t been expecting such a self-aware apology. “Oh. Uhm, thanks. I really do appreciate the apology. I know I was a little overly dramatic back then. I promise I’ve grown up since. Everything feels a bit more apocalyptic at 18.”

“Don’t I know it,” Alex laughed.

Over the next two hours, the two women caught up. Alex heard about Vicky’s years in college where she had fallen in love with Modernism during a class on Virginia Woolf (and fallen in love with the professor who taught the class all at the same time, not that it went anywhere). She learned all about Vicky’s years in grad school at NCU and the following years abroad. She got updates on Vicky’s brothers who, Alex was shocked to hear, were no longer the middle school kids she’d known so well, but had grown up and were now working in law and consulting. Her parents were doing well too, though her grandmother had passed away while she was in grad school. Alex even got to hear about Vicky’s ex-girlfriend, Charlotte, who she had met her first week in London and dated for the two years she spent there. When Vicky moved back to California, they realized there was no foreseeable time in the future when they might be in the same location and had broken up. It was an amicable enough split, though neither of them had really wanted it to end. Vicky had been in National City since June now and had tried dating, but nothing made it past a few dates. She seemed happy, though; she liked her coworkers in the English Department, and she loved teaching, plus she didn’t seem to want to jump right back into another serious relationship.

Alex listened and asked questions. She also shared, though she left out any details about her relationships—a fact that Vicky noticed but was polite enough not to comment on—and had to glance over some of her more impressive moments of research as they tended to involve saving the world with Supergirl who Vicky still didn’t know was Kara, the awkward pre-teen she’d gotten to know in high school. She did mention that grad school had been a tough time for her—she’d taken to drinking and clubbing quite a bit, trying to distract herself from the pressure she felt from her mother to be perfect, more like Kara, until Professor Henshaw had taken her on as an advisee; his interest in her research and her future had inspired her to get her life back in order with the promise of a job waiting for her at the end of the PhD tunnel if she got her grades back in order. Vicky was understanding and gave Alex a small hug while she talked about feeling inadequate compared to Kara. Even if her parents were loving and kind, she knew the sort of pressure sibling competition could evoke. She might be in a tenure-track job now, but during her years of grad school in the humanities and her time abroad, her mother couldn’t help but drop hints about how much money her brothers were making already in the workforce. And it didn’t help that they had both already married nice young women, one of whom was pregnant with their first grandchild now.

When they looked down and saw that it was already past noon, the two women were surprised. Even though they had been best friends through high school, neither of them expected their meeting to go as well as it had. Vicky cleared her through and apologized—she really needed to get back and grade the in-class essay exam she had given on the second day of classes (quite a few students had dropped the course right then and there). She pushed her luck and asked, “Do you think I’ll be seeing you up in this neighborhood again soon?” She assumed Alex had figured out that she was in the gayborhood.

With a slight blush, Alex shrugged, “Probably.” It was more than Vicky thought she would get, and she smiled at Alex.

“Well then hopefully I’ll see you soon, Al. It was really nice talking to you again.”

“It was. It really was.”

\---

“Hope everything went well today!” Maggie texted Alex later that afternoon. She knew how nerve-wracking seeing an ex (even one you didn’t admit was an ex) could be and thought Alex could use a friendly message. She wondered if she had been pushing Alex too much lately to embrace a queer identity. After the past few nights, she didn’t think she was wrong to call Alex not straight, but she also hoped she wasn’t projecting. While Maggie had felt liberated and proud when she finally stood up to her friends and family and told them she was a lesbian, she knew that wasn’t the case for everyone. Hell, even she had dealt with more than a few people’s small-minded, bigoted reactions, but she felt stronger and more secure in her identity because of it. She knew the people who had always been there and always would; coming out was just a confirmation. She relaxed when she saw Alex’s response: “It was actually great. Thanks for making me go :)” She never thought she’d see Alex Danvers using a smiley face emoticon, but she was happy for her. Maybe she was one step closer to embracing who she really was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First real (shorter) chapter with smut in the work! If you're not into that, probably want to skip this one, or at least stop reading once Maggie goes home

The next weeks finally felt like getting back into a real school year routine for Alex. Classes were on a normal schedule; her roster was finalized with no more add-ins to worry about; and she had confirmed her office hours and meeting schedules for the fall. Her evenings had also fallen into a new routine. Before she had gone home, graded papers, done some research of her own, and fallen asleep with a glass of wine and an episode of some show or another on the nights she wasn’t up with Kara either helping her as a traditional big sister or doing research to help her out in her role as Supergirl. But now she found herself making time for friends. Kara was still a constant presence (and always would be), but increasingly she found herself at happy hour or on the phone with Vicky or Maggie. Alex had resigned herself (happily, she was forced to admit) to undergoing Maggie’s queer education lessons, as she’d made her way through the queer film canon and was set to start on television this weekend, the same time as she was set to receive her first lesson on non-takeout cooking. And she’d started to learn her way around both the humanities building next door, where she’d join Vicky for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays when their schedules aligned, and the gayborhood, where she’d taken to meeting Vicky for the occasional happy hour or weekend brunch. Things felt simple with Vicky; they had quickly fallen back into an easy camaraderie, sharing updates about friends and family back home and talking about their research and classes. Sometimes Maggie seemed surprised to hear how much time Alex was spending with Vicky, even sounding almost jealous at points, but Alex figured it was just hard to be new in town without many friends and resolved to make a bit more time for Maggie. Although Kara knew Alex was seeing friends more than she had in years and commented on the positive changes she had noticed since the start of the semester, Alex was reluctant to get into specifics of who she was seeing, what they were doing, and where they were meeting. She knew Kara was sweet and rarely judgmental, but she felt like this part of life needed to be hers—at least for now. Plus, she kept her Supergirl research and occasional crime-fighting on the down low with Vicky and Maggie, which was almost the same thing.

\---

That weekend, Maggie showed up at Alex’s apartment bearing the ingredients for lasagna and season 1 of The L Word. They spent the first hour figuring out where Alex had put the kitchen utensils and pans her mother had sent down when she first moved to National City—on a tall shelf in the coat closet, as it turned out—before finally getting into the recipe. Maggie showed Alex how to cook the lasagna sheets without letting them overcook and how to fish them out of the water without breaking them. She let Alex take charge of making the filling, while she pulled out ingredients for a basic tomato sauce with lots of garlic. As Maggie got the sauce together, she let Alex taste it with each new addition to see how different spices changed the taste. She was shocked at how easy it felt. She knew that cooking together was something couples—no, make that married couples—would do, but somehow she didn’t hate it. With Alex it just felt natural, though she didn’t dwell on what that might mean, convinced that friendship was still the best route to take. Finally, they got the sauce just right. As they left it to simmer for a while, Maggie went over to set up the DVDs.

“Fair warning, the show is so far from perfect, but it’s still the closest thing we’ve got to a common cultural touchstone. You have to watch it, even though there are seasons you will absolutely hate. Power through, right?”

“Quite the glowing endorsement,” Alex replied, even as she moved to get closer to the television and Maggie. “C’mon, press play.”

A few minutes later Alex asked, “Wow…who is she?”

“Oh, Bette. Yeah. She’s a lot of people’s favorite. Besides Shane.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see.”

Maggie continued to stir the simmering sauce and watch Alex’s reactions to the show, which were almost as entertaining as the show itself. She could almost picture Alex taking notes on how to be a lesbian, not that The L Word was really the best guide.

Alex bit back a gasp when Shane stripped down and started to fuck some random woman in her neighbor’s pool. Or maybe she lived there too? But that wasn't what was important here. The important thing was that there were naked women on the screen. Naked women having sex. With each other. On television. Alex wondered where she was when this show was still on. But then Alex thought that maybe she was enjoying this too much while a friend was over. And so she quickly turned around, a blush still creeping up her chest, to ask Maggie if she needed any help.

Biting back a smile, Maggie told her that the sauce was just about ready if she wanted to come help with layering the lasagna. Between the two of them, they got everything done by the time Jenny was making out with Marina in Bette and Tina’s bathroom. And Alex only broke two noodles in the process—both at the same time, when Bette came up from between Tina’s legs and wiped her mouth off. She didn’t quite know how this was shown on television. Since neither of them were quite hungry enough to eat—even with the hour-long cook time—they settled into the couch to keep watching as Maggie did her best to field questions from Alex about where different characters were going to end up without ruining any big surprises.

Over the course of the afternoon, which stretched well into the evening, Alex made her way through much of the first season of The L Word with limited commentary from Maggie. Their lasagna turned out beautifully, much to Alex’s surprise, and they even made cookies—only one sheet of which burnt (but who could look away from Jenny and Marina’s scene before it was over??).

Once their current episode finished, Maggie pressed pause. “Okay, now that you’ve seen enough episodes to judge, who’s your favorite character?”

“Well that depends, what do you mean by my favorite?”

Given how well Alex had handled the naked women on screen and the naked women fucking on screen, Maggie ventured, “Well, I mean, there’s a few possibilities: who’s your favorite character to watch? Which one do you identify with? Who would you most want to fuck or date—doesn’t have to be the same one?”

Alex didn’t hesitate before answering, which Maggie counted as a vast improvement. Grabbing a cookie, Alex began, “Well, I think I identify most with Dana. Shane’s probably my favorite to watch, though she makes stupid decisions. Uhm, I’d probably date Lara, but I’d definitely want to fuck Bette.”

Maggie grinned. “Good choices, Danvers. Oh and just wait until you see some of Shane’s even worse choices…you’ll know them when you see them.” She didn't say anything about Lara being a chef and their ongoing cooking lessons, nor did she comment on Dana’s ongoing unwillingness to really be out.

By that point it was getting late, so they decided to watch one more episode before Maggie left for the evening. Of course that episode found Marina in between Jenny’s legs—an extended shot of Marina savoring the way Jenny tasted, of Jenny gasping at finally experiencing how amazing sex could be. And suddenly Alex was very grateful that Maggie would be leaving at the end of the episode. She tried to distract herself from the uncomfortable wetness she felt against her inner thighs, pulling her legs into her chest and trying to slow her breathing. But they wouldn't stop showing gorgeous women. And those women wouldn’t stop having sex with each other, which, really, was it that realistic?

Maggie noticed Alex squirming during the sex scenes. At first she worried that she was uncomfortable; perhaps she should have gone with Buffy before The L Word—let her see some heavily euphemistic sex before throwing her into what was, essentially, soft-core porn. But Alex’s eyes never left the screen; she barely even blinked. She blushed, but she also bit at her lower lip. Maggie wanted to smirk and tease the woman sitting across the sofa from her, but she also wanted to offer a helping hand...maybe a helping tongue as well. She wondered how wet Alex might be. She wondered how Alex might taste, how she might sound yelling out Maggie’s name. But no, that wasn’t something Maggie should think about. Alex was a friend—a friend who was barely coming out of the closet, even if she’d already had sex with a woman years and years ago. Maggie was very happy that she’d be leaving soon; she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand sitting there and watching Alex without closing the distance between them and—no, she chastised herself, not this woman. Anyone but this woman, her one close friend in National City.

Even though they’d had a fun Saturday together, by the time the credits rolled, both women jumped to their feet, bidding one another a hasty goodbye with promises to do something on Monday.

The brisk fall air was a welcome distraction to Maggie. As she straddled her motorcycle and revved, she decided to take the long way home, allowing the cool breeze to clear her mind. But a certain redhead kept fighting her way into her thoughts, so she decided to head over to last call at one of the local gay bars. Maybe someone there could distract her.

Alex hastily packed up the leftovers that Maggie left her (“I can always cook for myself, Danvers. You, I’m not so sure about.”) and threw the plates into the sink with a promise to herself that she would wash them first thing in the morning. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Alex still couldn’t get the image of Jenny and Marina fucking out of her head. She laid down, hoping that it was late enough that she would fall asleep. But no, nothing was ever that easy. Biting down a sense of uneasiness, Alex reached under the covers, pushing her pajama pants down, thinking that maybe a quick release was all she needed. But then she felt how wet she was. She wondered if she had ever been this wet. Certainly not any of those drunken nights after going out to the clubs. Not even other times when she’d been by herself hoping to relax or fall asleep. But now she was dripping. She slipped her ring off her finger and placed it on the bedside table before sliding a finger inside herself, quickly adding a second when she could barely even feel the first. Starting off slowly, she worked her fingers in and out, not even trying to push the images of two women together out of her head. She sped up, groaning in frustration and want, wishing her fingers were slightly longer. Suddenly she found herself thinking about the woman who had been sitting on the couch next to her, wondering whether her fingers might reach better. She tried to chase those thoughts away, but they kept returning, mingling with scenes from The L Word. Guiltily, Alex eventually gave in, letting her mind wander as she slipped her other hand down to circle her clit. Feeling herself getting closer, she slipped a third finger in, hoping to overwhelm her senses enough to drive images of a certain pretty brunette out of her head. Thrusting harder and faster as she felt her clit hardening, Alex’s body tensed—she was so close—finally she gasped as her body collapsed into the mattress. She shuddered briefly as she drew her fingers slowly out of herself, trying not to think about why it was that they were soaking wet in a way they never before had beem. On her way to the bathroom to wash her hands, she paused. She wondered. In a moment of curiosity she tentatively licked one of her fingers. It was fine, not bad. She wondered what someone else might think. She wondered what Maggie might think. But no, Alex convinced herself, she was only thinking of Maggie because she just saw her and because Maggie was an out lesbian who has an active sex life that occasionally she hinted at in conversation. Maybe Alex just needed to get out there and get laid. By a woman. She could admit that much: she wanted to have sex with a woman. Saying it to herself didn't even scare her. The idea of actually going out to a bar and finding some stranger to do it with, however...well, that was another matter.

Meanwhile, Maggie ran her tongue over some tall blonde’s bottom lip. She pulled her into the elevator in her building and pressed the button for her floor. She wasn't sure of exactly what the woman’s name was; she didn't know if she even gave her own name. But she was hot, and tonight, that was enough. They finally stumbled into Maggie’s apartment. There was no preamble, no skirting around the question of why they were here. She dragged the blonde toward her bedroom, pushing her up against the wall and kissing around her jaw and down her neck, pausing as the woman let out a small whimper. Maggie kicked off her shoes and asked the woman if she could take off her shirt. The blonde responded with a passionate kiss as she pulled off her own shirt and unbuttoned Maggie’s. “Off?” she asked, motioning to Maggie’s shirt and bra.

Maggie grunted in agreement as the clothing came off and fell to the floor. She unhooked the woman’s bra and ran a tongue across the woman’s chest, appreciating the feeling of her nipples hardening as she let out small gasps. She ran her hands up and down the blonde’s torso, feeling the way her muscles tensed under her hands. She guided the woman down onto her bed, straddling her as she kissed her hard, finally moving a hand down to the woman’s jeans and asking, “Can these come off?”

“Please,” she moaned in response. “Yours?”

“Yeah.”

Maggie quickly undid the button and zipper, helping the woman to wiggle out of the tight skinny jeans. She flipped onto her back for a moment so hers could come of too, before quickly climbing back on top of the woman and dipping a finger down to feel how wet she is. “Do you want me inside you?”

Between ragged breaths the woman gasped out, “Yes. Now.”

“Good. Then roll over,” Maggie ordered, though she looked up into the woman’s face, making sure she was okay with everything first. Seeing the other woman’s eyes darken in response as a smile flit across her lips, she grinned in response.

The blonde quickly flipped over, pushing her ass up into the air. She was perfectly sexy and could definitely be Maggie's type, but she found herself thinking of a very different woman’s ass—a thought she tried desperately to push out of her head. She kissed up and down the woman’s back, tangling her hands in the woman’s hair as she trailed teasing kisses and gentle bites along her neck. Once the woman started to beg, Maggie gave in, moving her hand back down, teasing for just a moment around her entrance before plunging one, then two fingers inside of her. The blonde moaned in appreciation, thrusting her hips back as they found a rhythm. Maggie used her other hand to hold onto the woman’s hips, pulling herself in tight against the woman’s ass and appreciating the pressure against her own clit, relieving some of the built up tension. She slid her thumb up to the woman’s clit as she curled her other fingers inside of her, feeling her walls pulse around her hand.

“What do you need? Do you need more?”

“Faster. Please.”

Maggie complied, fucking the woman hard and fast as her thumb circled her clit. As the woman’s breath hitched, Maggie leaned forward and whispers in her ear, “I need you to come for me.” With a loud moan, the woman tensed before finally gasping out her release. Maggie slowed her pace, letting the woman come down before she removed her hand, drawing slow circles up and down the backs of her thighs and back. She gave her a soft kiss as she rolled her onto her back. Maggie moved down to claim the woman’s lips with hers, softly moving her tongue into her mouth as she straddled her thigh. Getting the hint, the blonde thrust her hips up into Maggie, moving her leg up and down, feeling the wet streak Maggie was leaving behind on her thigh. She kissed Maggie harder, biting her lower lip and pulling gently on her hair as Maggie’s muscles tightened and her movements grew more stilted, her hips stuttering slightly. Finally, with a small groan, Maggie's whole body shuddered slightly, then relaxed/ She leaned over and kissed the woman softly before lying down on her side.

“Do you need anything more?” the woman asked Maggie.

“I’m fine. You?”

“I think you did well enough the first time.” Fun as it had been, Maggie was happy to hear that the woman had had enough. She knew her head wasn’t in it; she was here for a distraction, and it seemed like the other woman was just as happy to leave now, satisfied without any emotional entanglements.

“I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow,” Maggie started.

“Yeah, I should really head out. Meeting friends in the morning.”

“It was fun.”

“Yeah, it really was. See you around?”

“I’m sure.”

Maggie helped the woman find her clothes and walked her to the door. “Do you need help getting a cab or anything?”

“Nah, thanks. I live just a couple blocks up that way,” the blonde gestured in the direction of the bar, where Maggie knew there was plenty of foot traffic even this time of night.

With a quick kiss goodbye, the woman headed out, and Maggie traipsed back to bed, not bothering to gather her clothes before falling into bed and letting sleep pull her in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter with the introduction of Lena and Alex's attempts to come out to Kara

Sunday morning found Alex pacing outside of Kara’s apartment with a box of donuts. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was there. All she knew was that she hadn’t been able to focus on anything in her apartment, except perhaps a few thoughts she didn’t need to entertain this early in the day. She had done the dishes. She had gone for a run. And still her mind kept wandering back to last night. She wondered what Maggie had done, but then, she figured, Maggie already slept with pretty women on a regular basis; watching The L Word was nothing new for her, certainly nothing that would inspire the kind of desperation that Alex had felt. But these weren’t thoughts she should give space to. So instead she was sitting outside of Kara’s door, getting started on the donuts without her. Swallowing a large bite of glazed donut for courage, Alex gave a tentative knock on Kara’s door.

“Coming!” she heard before a cheery blonde figure pulled open the door. “Alex? What’s up? Oh, donuts! My favorite.”

“Can’t I just visit my sister?”

“Of course! I just haven’t seen you in a few days. Maybe you’d forgotten about me…” Kara looked up at Alex with puppy dog eyes and her signature pout.

“Never, Kara,” Alex reassured her. “I’ve just been busy and all. But I missed you—hence the donuts. So what’s up with you?”

“No, you first. Now that I have my morning half dozen, I want to know why you’ve already eaten something this sugary before noon. What’s wrong? Does it have to do with whatever’s been keeping you so busy?”

“No, no,” Alex lied, “I’ve just been seeing friends a little more this semester.”

“That’s great, Alex! Is this Maggie from your Department? Aren’t you glad you didn’t kill her for stealing your mug? You can’t be friends with dead people.”

Laughing, Alex replied, “You’re right. And yes, Maggie, as well as another new professor.”

“The cute one in Bio?” Kara pushed, still wanting to see this mysterious cutie who Winn had told her about.

“I think Maggie’s our cutest new hire,” Alex replied without thinking. Fighting the blush quickly spreading across her cheeks, Alex tried to recover, “Uh, no, it’s someone from another Department. We had been friendly back in school.” Alex didn’t need to specify which school.

“What’s her name?” Kara asked, excited to see her sister reaching out of her comfort zone.

Hesitating Alex debated telling Kara who it was. She wondered if she’d recognize Vicky’s name after all of these years. Figuring partial honesty was the best policy she tried, “Vicky, she’s a professor in the English Department.”

“So you just have a thing for women named Vicky, huh? Just like your best friend back in Midvale!”

Alex cursed Kara’s good memory; it was what made her a great friend and an even better Trivial Pursuit teammate, but it didn’t help in situations like this.

“Erm, yeah, same one actually.”

“Wow! Didn’t you two have a big falling out? Have you made up? You never did tell me what the fight was about. Suddenly she just stopped coming over, then you left for Stanford, so we never really talked about it.”

“Yeah, well, it was a stupid fight. I had just overreacted, then you know she went to the East Coast for college, so it was too hard to stay in touch.” Even if she thought she should probably tell Kara soon, she didn’t want to couch her coming out in a story of a tipsy high school hook up that had taken place just one door away from Kara’s bedroom—no need to traumatize the poor girl.

“Okay,” Kara said, suspecting that she wasn’t getting the full story. She decided not to press the issue just yet. “Well I’m glad you two are friends again. I always liked her. Out of all your friends she was one of the few that always treated me like just another kid, like your sister not some weird orphan.”

“Yeah…she was pretty great.” Alex felt herself getting a bit nostalgic. There was a reason she and Vicky had been so close, but then one night had just ruined all of it. Or, Alex supposed, it was more her own reaction to that night that had ruined it.

Seeing what looked like regret on Alex’s face, Kara decided to try one more time to get the truth about what had happened between her big sister and her best friend. “Alex, I can tell when you’re not being totally honest with me. You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“That’s the thing, though, Kara, I don’t know if I can.” Realizing how that sounded, Alex stammered, “Not because of you or anything. It’s just, I don’t know. It was such a long time ago, but now it all seems to matter again, but maybe now I get it a little bit more, do you know what I mean?” Of course Kara didn’t. How could she? Rambling like this wasn’t getting her any closer to the truth. She took a shaky breath and tried starting again, “Can we sit down maybe?”

The two women moved to the couch. Alex pulled her feet under her as she fiddled with her watch and her hair, looking anywhere but at Kara. “So these past few weeks I’ve been seeing more of friends. And these friends, well, they have things in common, and I’m realizing that maybe I do too.”

As she took another deep breath to steady herself, she heard a knock at the door.

“Coming!” Kara yelled as she ran across the room, pulling her glasses down to peer through the wood. “Lena?” she muttered to herself.

Alex tried to pull herself together as Kara opened the door, unwilling to have anyone else see her looking even slightly vulnerable. Glancing over at the doorway, she saw a woman, about her age, stroll into the apartment. The woman looked familiar, though she couldn’t quite place her. She was pretty with pale skin framed by a curtain of dark brown hair. Her outfit looked like it might have cost Alex’s monthly salary, and she didn’t even want to think about the jewelry adorning the woman’s hands and neck.

“Alex, this is Lena. Lena, this is my sister, Alex.” Kara motioned awkwardly between the two women.

“Lena…?”

“Luthor,” Lena supplied, bracing herself for the reaction.

“Right,” Alex remarked, giving the woman another quick up and down as she clenched her jaw. “And you’re at my little sister’s apartment because?”

Lena turned back to Kara with a smile—Alex wasn’t sure if it was genuine; it seemed almost predatory. “I’m here to invite Kara to a dinner party at my house this evening. I’m sorry for the short notice; it was rather last minute. I told a few of my business associates about all of the programs you’re hoping to implement over at the university, and many of them were interested in learning more about your ideas and, if I’m being honest, meeting the woman who had me ready to pull out my checkbook. I figured, where better to learn about the scholarships than from the woman herself? That is, if you’ll do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?”

Kara blushed and fiddled with her glasses, avoiding looking in Alex’s direction. “Oh, uhm, yes, I’d have to check with Dean Grant—”

“No need. I spoke with her and explained that moving forward I want to deal exclusively with you.”

“Gosh, that makes me sound so important, Ms. Luthor!”

“Lena, please.”

“Right, right,” Kara corrected herself, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Well then yes, I’d be happy to come to your dinner tonight. Where should I go?”

“Splendid. I’ll send my driver to pick you up at 6:30. Oh, and even though Tom will be drunk by the second course much to everyone’s chagrin and no one’s surprise, it is still a formal affair. I wouldn’t want you to be surprised.”

“Thank you, Ms.—err, Lena. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Can’t wait,” Lena purred. Nodding to Alex she added, “It was nice meeting you, Alex. I have a feeling I’ll see you soon enough.” And with that, she spun on her heel and strode out of the apartment.

“So…” Alex began, “Does she regularly show up uninvited to ask you to be her date to dinner parties?”

“Date?” Kara laughed, even as she fought the note of slight panic that had come into her voice. “No, no. She just knows it will look good for L-Corp. Not that the work she’s been doing isn’t good; she’s really turning the company around. She’s not Lex 2.0, I promise.”

“So that alien detection device I saw newspaper articles about all last week is...?”

“Oh, I talked to her about it. I don’t know that she’s moving forward with it anymore. She’s going to think more about it, but I think she values my opinion.”

“And just your opinion?” Alex asked. She hadn’t meant to suggest anything sexual, though the blush that overtook Kara’s cheeks revealed that the younger woman had taken it that way—a fact that seemed to escape Alex’s notice.

“Anyway, you were starting to say something before Lena got here.”

“Oh, no. I can barely even remember what I was saying—probably just rambling. It’s getting late. You should start thinking about what you’re going to wear tonight. I know you; it’ll take at least 10 outfit changes before you settle on something, which you’ll still change out of and back into at least twice again before looking at your hair. And yes, you can FaceTime me with your options.”

“You’re the best!” Kara squealed, pulling her sister into a hug, though she released her slightly when she heard Alex let out an “ooph” sound at the weight. “We’ll talk later, though, right?”

“Of course.”

\---

Early Monday afternoon saw Alex and Maggie back at what had become their table at Noonan’s. Alex had explained away their weekly outings to Hank with a reminder that she was the new faculty mentor. He’d tried to tell her he wasn’t judging her, but she swore she noticed an eyebrow raise each time she walked by with Maggie or, more recently, when Vicky had met her in the hallway after Alex had forgotten her blazer in the English Department.

“How was your Sunday?” Maggie asked. Though Alex had initially tried to keep the lunches professional in tone, questioning Maggie about her classes and students, she had since resigned herself to the fact that they were friends far more than they were colleagues. Even though they still talked about classes and Alex still included Maggie on all of the professional development workshop emails, their lunches could simply be about them as individuals.

“Eh.”

“Aww no, what happened?”

“Nothing really.”

“Alex…I know when you’re lying.”

“Better than Kara does, that’s for sure.” Maggie arched an eyebrow, unclear on the segue. “It’s nothing. I just, well, I went over to her apartment yesterday and mentioned that I had been seeing Vicky again.” Maggie felt her stomach clench at the confirmation of how much time Alex had been spending with Vicky recently, but she tried to ignore the feeling and whatever it might mean for their friendship. “Kara, always the conscientious one between the two of us, of course remembered her and our falling out, though she never knew what happened.”

“I sort of assumed you didn’t tell your baby sister about your torrid love affair.”

“Shut up,” Alex teased, tossing a chocolate chip from her cookie at Maggie. “But no, I did not tell her. And I’m still not planning to tell her in quite so much detail. If you knew my sister, you’d know that her head would probably combust at the mention of her sister having sex, or really anyone having sex… But I had, well, I tried to tell her that, you know.”

“No, Danvers, enlighten me.” Though Maggie assumed she knew exactly what Alex had been trying to tell her sister, she wanted Alex to practice saying the words aloud, recalling the days she had spent in front of her mirror just practicing saying, “I’m a lesbian,” to herself before she could work up the courage to tell anyone else. If anything, she had practiced so much that by the time she got around to telling a few people, she said it with swagger, announcing it with a dare in her tone.

“Maggie,” Alex’s voice dropped, warning Maggie to take it easy on her this morning. “I tried to tell her that I’m gay, Maggie.”

Maggie held back a gasp. She hadn’t expected Alex to be able to say it aloud in a public place quite so soon, but she was incredibly proud of Alex. “That’s great, Alex, really. That’s the first thing I did too, you know, tell people.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t get around to it. Someone stopped by and then after that it just didn’t feel all that urgent.”

“Well what made it feel so urgent at first?”

Thinking back to Saturday night, to the hours she had spent with Maggie, to the scenes of naked women projected in high definition on her television screen, to the way her hands had tangled in her sheets and found their way to her clit, inside her, found her dripping wet as thoughts of what someone else might be able to do for her, of what Maggie might be able to do for her, jostled around in her mind. “Oh, no reason in particular. I just, well, like you said, I made my way through most of my queer lady movie education and have already progressed to television, so it’s only right to acknowledge that very important milestone.” Alex grinned as Maggie shook her head at her.

“Yeah, well, you’ve still got over five full seasons to go, then we’re on to another seven seasons of Buffy.” The idea of that much time with Alex thrilled her. She thought back to Saturday night, to seeing the look of desperation that had overtaken Alex’s features. She wondered what Alex had done after she left.

“Right, right, I guess you’ll need to come over again and show me how to cook something new. But what about you? How was your weekend after you left?”

“Uneventful,” Maggie lied. It wasn’t like they were a couple or anything. Maggie certainly hadn’t cheated on Alex. But she still felt like Alex would feel betrayed at hearing that she had gone to screw some random woman not even an hour after they had parted for the night.

\---

Other than a much-needed sister night on Wednesday, Alex’s week passed fairly uneventfully. Sure, she had chickened out on the whole coming out to Kara thing again, but they'd had plenty to talk about between Supergirl’s latest adventures, Alex’s lab results (or continued lack thereof) on a glowing orange substance Supergirl had encountered in a particularly nasty alien’s lair, and Kara’s fancy dinner with Lena Luthor. Kara was oddly reticent about the third topic, but Alex supposed it was because she had been a bit cold to the younger Luthor. Maybe in the future she’d have to mask her emotions better, if only so that she could stay abreast of Kara’s life as Kara, not just as Supergirl.

By the time her last class finished on Thursday, Alex was tired. Fridays were spent in meetings and her own lab, which at least gave her some quiet time, but lately quiet time had left her feeling more stressed than relaxed. She kept returning to the conversation she knew she needed to finish with Kara, to Maggie’s encouragements, and, unfortunately, to the sense of attraction she’d felt building between herself and the short brunette. If that was going to become anything, she really needed to start talking to Kara, and fast.

Deciding to enjoy the cool fall air before heading back to her office to send a few emails before leaving work, Alex set out to walk the long loop around campus. As she passed the student center, a familiar voice caught her attention. She looked up in time to see Vicky saying goodbye to two women, perhaps upperclassmen or maybe young grad students? Not yet ready to head back to her office, Alex wandered over to the building, calling out to Vicky, “Hey! How’s the end of the week treating you?”

Meeting Alex’s gaze with a smile, Vicky hurried to meet her halfway. “Can’t complain. I’m done with classes for the week. All I’ve got tomorrow is office hours with some eager grad students who are already thinking ahead to finals. Meanwhile all I can think about is going out tonight to forget about the stacks of papers I have to grade. Perhaps I could learn something from them…”

“I get that. I’ve been walking loops around campus to avoid my email,” Alex chuckled.

“Well, if you want to be irresponsible together, what do you say to meeting up tonight. Dinner and drinks? We’ve barely seen each other this week.”

Alex had noticed that. Compared to the amount of time they’d started spending together again, this week had been a change. “Sorry, I think my students are getting more and more needy as we get close to midterms. There have been lines down the hallway for all of my office hours. But yes, dinner and drinks sound great. I really do have to send some emails, so what do you say to meeting at 6 outside your building?”

“Sounds great. I know just the place.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aliens, angst, and angry sex! Happy endings all around, though, even for Baby Gay Danvers

Alex strolled over to Vicky’s building just in time to see the other woman fumbling with her bag as she tried to pull on a jean jacket without losing the stack of papers she had balanced precariously, half-in and half-out of her bag. Alex ran over to help, grabbing the bag before its contents spilled out across the sidewalk.

“My hero!” Vicky teased, though she was grateful for the extra set of hands. She’d once dropped all of her students’ final papers and found out the hard way that far too many students considered a paperclip as good as a staple for holding their 20-page essays together. “I just have to drop these off in my car—don’t worry, it’s a work-free dinner. I can actually drive us up to the restaurant too. It’s by my apartment, so I can park in the building’s garage and save us cab fare.”

“Works for me. Lead the way.”

They chatted amicably on the walk to the car and the start of their drive. After a few more blocks, Alex thought to ask where they were going.

“Oh, it’s this great bookstore and restaurant combo. They do poetry slams and author events, but Thursday night is trivia night. We don’t have to stay, but it might be fun. Two professors on a team…I think we could kick some ass if you’re up for it.”

“I’m always up to win.”

“Still haven’t lost the competitive streak, huh?”

“Nothing wrong with it when you’re on the winning team.” Alex relaxed into her seat, enjoying the easy back-and-forth that still came so naturally with Vicky.

“Oh and just so you know, it’s a slightly different crowd. The best of people, but don’t expect the usual business attire, ya know?”

“Umm, sure. I mean, hey, I’m in skinny jeans and boots. That’s not exactly business attire.”

"Yeah, but it _is_  dyke-wear," Vicky thought to herself. “Yes, with a button-up and a blazer, my dear. You’re still on the formal side. Just enjoy yourself tonight. Know that you’re among…friends.”

Once they got there and settled in, Alex let her eyes roam, starting to better understand what Vicky had meant in the car. The number of piercings alone caught her attention, though it was the woman in the tight black pants with a narrow black tie who held it. She watched the woman’s relaxed gait as she sauntered across the front of the room with what Alex could really only describe as swagger.

Turning around to see what Alex was staring so intently at, Vicky noticed Trish pacing, assessing the crowd before calling trivia to a start. She wasn’t sure if it was Trish’s tie or the white-blonde pompadour she casually tousled every so often, but something about her made her a magnet for everyone, from seasoned dykes to baby gays. Hell, even the gay men looked at her! Wondering whether she might make Alex’s head explode with a closer encounter, Vicky called out Trish’s name and motioned for her to come join them.

Weaving effortlessly through the crowd, her hands stuffed in her pockets, Trish made her way over to their table. “Trish, this is my friend Alex. She’s new to the bar.” And in a stage whisper she added, “And the neighborhood, if you catch my drift.”

Alex’s cheeks flushed a deep red when she caught sight of Trish’s smirk, but the blonde just extended a hand, welcoming Alex to her first trivia night, promising her it would be a night to remember. Turning to leave for the host stand, Trish nudged Vicky’s shoulder and pointed a warning finger in her face, adding, “Be gentle with the baby gay. And make sure her night doesn’t end without a pretty woman in her bed.” She threw a wink in Alex’s direction as Alex was reduced to a bumbling idiot who could barely get a grin out in response—a fact that amused Vicky to no end.

The trivia itself went well, though the pair didn’t win. Even with Vicky’s near encyclopedic knowledge of queer literature and Alex’s surprisingly comprehensive review of lesbian films, they just couldn’t compete with the larger teams whose knowledge stretched from gay male subcategories to WNBA teams. On the plus side, Alex had loosened up a bit, even with just the single beer she had nursed all night. Figuring out that she was, as Vicky had told her, among friends, Alex seemed capable of letting her guard down for a while. She certainly wasn’t pleased about losing, vowing to go home and study her women’s sports teams for the next trivia night, but she was happy to blame their loss on her newness to the scene.

Feeling emboldened by Alex’s comfort level, Vicky asked her if she’d like to walk down the street to Nellie’s, a more traditional bar. Even though the bookstore had a selection of wine and beer, it was still quiet—not the type of place where Vicky wanted their night to end. Shrugging, Alex decided, why not, and happily followed Vicky out the door. Vicky grabbed her hand and dragged her down the block, waving at a few acquaintances she knew from her building. Just a few minutes later, the women were pressed up against the bar at Nellie’s, fighting for the pretty male bartender’s attention and losing out to the shirtless men who danced around them. Finally Alex nearly threw herself across the bar as the bartender crossed by them for what had to be the fourth or fifth time. She ordered two whiskeys, picking up the tab before Vicky could object. Drinks in hand, they moved away from the crowded bar toward the tables in the back where they had a great view of the dance floor and the eclectic crowd who populated Nellie’s on any given Thursday.

The music was too loud to sustain any real conversation, so they stuck to short comments—pointing out the dancers who moved to be noticed, the couples who were clearly on dates—both good and bad—and the hot women who made their presence known even among the crowds of shirtless men. Tossing back the last of her drink, Vicky held out a hand to Alex. Emboldened with a bit of liquid courage, she pulled Alex down from her stool and out onto the dance floor.

“God, I haven’t danced in a crowd like this since grad school,” Alex laughed. Even though clubs had been her release during those years—well, clubs, booze, and bad one night stands—she had never felt as much at ease as she did here, among friends. Allowing herself to get swept up in the pulsing music and the sweaty bodies around her, Alex let her guard down a little more, pulling Vicky in so their bodies were close, almost touching.

Vicky wondered at her luck. She had wanted to give Alex a glimpse of the gay nightlife scene, hoping that she’d see how nice it could feel to be out, to accept herself for who she was, but she hadn’t dared to hope that Alex would adapt this easily. Letting Alex’s daring set the mood, Vicky grabbed Alex’s hand and spun her, pulling the taller woman’s backside flush into her as she moved her hands down to Alex’s hips. After a moment of hesitation, Alex rolled her hips back into Vicky, closing her eyes as she raised her hands above her head and letting the music pulse through her body. After a song or two of Alex grinding her ass into her, even dropping it to the floor and swaying suggestively back up Vicky’s body, Vicky felt empowered to let her hands roam, moving down Alex’s thighs and sweeping back up, migrating from the outside of her legs to the inside as she heard Alex let out a breathy moan.

Even though Vicky had long outgrown her high school crush on Alex Danvers, resident science nerd, she would be more than happy to provide the first stop on Alex’s welcome tour of the lesbian community. No matter how quickly their friendship had rekindled, Vicky knew that Alex’s feelings were almost all platonic, though she’d seen what looked like lust in her eyes on a few occasions—when she’d worn a particularly low-cut shirt to one of their coffee dates, or the time she had joked about Alex needing to see what more than a decade of practice had done to her skills in the bedroom. Besides, sleeping with all of your close friends was something like a rite of passage in the gay community. It didn't have to mean anything more than a night of fun and passion. After all, she suspected Alex harbored more than platonic feelings for another queer professor—a certain dimpled brunette who seemed to have been the inspiration for Alex’s sudden appreciation of the gayborhood.

Vicky was pulled out of her musings when Alex reached a hand over her should and tangled her fingers in Vicky’s hair pulling her lips down to her neck. Obliging, Vicky kissed up and down the soft, sensitive skin, feeling herself getting wet as she heard Alex’s breath hitch and felt her heartbeat race. After a few more songs of what Vicky considered to have devolved into public foreplay, she spun Alex into her. When the woman turned, however, she knocked into a couple of younger boys who had been taking shots and debating whether their abs were impressive enough to go shirtless or if they should just admire the scenery. When the tallest of the group turned around to tell Alex off, he caught Vicky’s eyes and a smile spread across his face. “Get it, Professor!” he cheered.

Vicky just rolled her eyes and pushed the tall blonde back to his group. “Go find your friends, Anderson, and let your professor have a life before she takes it out on your grade.”

“Ohh!!” his friends yelled in unison, as they shuffled back toward the bar.

Significantly less amused was Alex, whose face was now buried in Vicky’s shoulder. “Oh my god. I think I know one of them. He’s in my astrobiology senior seminar. I can’t let him see me here!”

“Alex, relax.” Vicky tried to guide Alex’s chin back up so she could look her in the eyes, but she resisted. “Alex,” she whispered in the woman’s ear, “You do realize that they’re also all out at the same gay bar as you, right? Yeah, it’s a little disconcerting the first time you see your students out at a bar, especially when the bar has a dance floor, but they’re here for the same reason you are: to have a good time and feel safe. I promise, they’re not here to out you or turn you in or anything like that.”

Alex’s nose twitched as she looked into Vicky’s eyes. “Promise?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

“Okay. But maybe we get another drink? Or maybe we leave?”

“If you wanna get out of here, I mean, just say the word, babe,” Vicky teased, though if that was what Alex wanted she’d be out the door and back to her apartment in a heartbeat. Even though she was fairly certain the androgynous-looking woman at the bar in a shirt and tie had been eyeing her while she danced with Alex, Vicky was more interested in spending the night with Alex. She though it might give her the closure she had so desperately wanted that summer before college. Plus, she thought, there was nothing like showing a baby gay the joys of good sex and all that they had been missing out on for too long.

Alex actually seemed to consider her offer, but she shook her head, “No, I should learn to be brave like you and Maggie. We’ll stick it out here a little longer, but with another beer to bolster the courage.”

“Alright, my treat this time.”

Vicky moved to go to the bar when Alex grabbed her hand. “Don’t think that I didn’t consider your offer, though. I just need to prove to myself that I can be out in public before I let myself have that…” she paused, trying to find the right word, “reward.”

“Mmm, well, don’t feel the need to be out for too long. I can think of some other ways you can earn gay credits tonight.” She winked and laughed before taking off through the crowd to try once more with the preoccupied bartender.

Alex followed her, figuring the least she could do would be to help out, even if it meant climbing over the bar to get their beers herself. Luckily a second bartender had shown up while they were dancing, and Vicky seemed to know her. Waving the pretty African American woman over to them, Vicky introduced Alex to the bartender, Meghan, and then ordered their beers. Drinks in hand, they wandered over to lean against a free spot on the wall by the entrance, as all the tables had been taken at this point.

A few sips in, Alex thought she heard a crash coming from the street. Handing her beer to Vicky and motioning for her to stay inside, Alex peered outside the door. Even if she wasn’t in quite the same shape she had been in when she used to spar with Kara, helping her to learn better fighting skills than the ones she’d been using in her first few weeks as Supergirl, she knew that she was still better equipped than most people out on the street. Other than a garbage can that had been knocked over, Alex didn’t see anything amiss. Figuring she would give a quick sweep, just to make sure, Alex slipped outside, though she was forced back inside when she saw the shadow of a large figure—definitely not human—looming from the alleyway to the side of the bar. A glimpse of what looked like fire breath confirmed her suspicions: an alien was on the loose.

Thankful for her quick reflexes and years of experience helping Kara fight aliens (though it had more often been from a greater distance than this), Alex whipped out her phone and called Kara’s emergency Supergirl line.

“Alex? Did you mean to call this one?”

Alex could hear the wind, assuming Kara was on her nightly flyover patrol of National City. “Yes. We have an emergency alien situation right outside the bar I’m in.”

“I’m on it! Where are you?”

“Uhm…” Alex hesitated. “Uh it’s a little place up in Northeast National City. Look for the fire-breathing alien in an alley; I’m sure you’ll find us in no time.”

Using her x-ray vision, Kara quickly located the alien and sped down. Meanwhile, Alex guarded the door, making sure no one left while the fight was still going on, even as curious drunk onlookers tried to sneak past her to catch a picture of what had become a rather noisy brawl. Ten minutes and one incredibly loud crash later, Supergirl appeared in the doorway. She whispered to Alex, “Don’t let anyone out just yet. The team is on its way to collect the prisoner. They’ll be gone in about three minutes, so for now, I guess let’s just mingle!”

Kara quickly made herself at home as gaggles of shirtless men took group selfies with her and a few bold women approached her with offers of drinks and dancing. After posing for more pictures than she had in a while, Kara nodded at Alex, having received the all clear to allow foot traffic to resume in the area. “Alright everyone, I have to run, but it was great seeing you all!” She motioned for Alex to follow her. Vicky eyed the beautiful superhero with envy. Was she really going to just sweep Alex off her feet like that? She started to look for the woman from the bar again…perhaps tonight could still be fun.

“Did you see all those guys? They were so cute, and I think a lot of them were wearing body glitter!” Kara smiled broadly.

“Yeah…I don’t know that they’re your type.”

“Oh, they’re definitely my type. I just don’t think I’m theirs.”

That was more astute than Alex had been expecting, and she shot a dumbfounded look at her little sister.

“That’s a gay bar, Alex.” Kara looked at her sister like she was letting her in on a secret. “How did you end up in the neighborhood by the way?”

“Oh, um, there’s a trivia night going on, which is where I was. With Vicky. Who lives near here. And when we were walking to the bus, I heard something, so we came up here. And, uh, took refuge in the bar.”

Despite Alex’s tripping over her words, Kara didn’t seem to notice or care. “I’m sure glad you were here to help keep them all safe and to call me in plenty of time!”

“Yeah…”

“Well you should go find Vicky! I’m sure she’s confused. Should I change back into my Kara outfit and surprise her? I haven’t seen her in so long!”

“No!” Alex nearly shouted. “I mean, just not tonight. It might be odd if you suddenly show up. She still doesn’t know your real identity.”

“Okay, true. But I want to see her eventually! Tell her I send my best.” And with that, Kara took off into the night, fist raised to the stars.

Right, Vicky. Alex realized she really needed to get back inside to find her. With a quick wave to Kara, she made her way back inside and through the crowd, straining her eyes to find her friend. Finally she caught sight of her; there was Vicky, leaning up against the bar with her hand on some other woman’s waist.

Huh. Sure, Alex was new to the queer scene, but she thought this night might have been headed in a particular direction—not one that ended with Vicky taking home some random woman from the bar and leaving Alex to fend for herself. Sidling up to Vicky, Alex put a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, I, uh, lost you for a second.”

“You lost me or you left me?” Vicky shot back, anger creeping into her tone.

“I just, I, I needed to talk to Supergirl. Maybe we should talk somewhere else.” Alex glanced at the third woman, who appeared to be sizing Alex up.

“Why? I think Mel and I were having a great conversation before you got here.”

“Well my apologies to Mel,” Alex grimaced, clenching her jaw as she nodded in Mel’s direction. “But it’s important that we finish this conversation.”

“Fine,” Vicky relented, but before they left, she scrawled her number on the back of Mel’s napkin and mouthed, “Call me,” with a wink.

“Can we go someplace that’s a little more private?” Alex asked, glad to have finally led Vicky away from the bar and certain…distractions.

“Whatever, Al. It seems nothing’s changed for you.”

“Everything has changed for me, Vicky. You don’t get to look at me and make assumptions. Just hold on, can we please just take this conversation elsewhere.”

“Fine. We’re a block from my apartment. Or is it too dangerous? The next door neighbors might hear you talking to a known homosexual?”

“It’s not like that!” Alex yelled back, surprising both of them.

The two women walked the rest of the way to Vicky’s apartment in silence. When they got to the door, Alex shuffled a bit, looking down at her feet.

“Don’t just stand there. You made me leave the bar early, so you may as well get your ass inside.”

“Sorry.”

“For what? You’re not getting off that easily.”

“I don’t know what you want me to apologize for. Sorry I stepped outside for a minute? I didn’t know that wasn’t allowed.”

“You followed the gorgeous superhero out the door without a glance back at me. And yes, I get that we’re just friends, but friends don’t leave friends alone when they’re supposed to be hanging out. And they certainly don’t go try to fuck blonde Amazons in front of the woman they’ve been grinding against all night!”

Alex let out an incredulous laugh. “What?”

“Oh fuck off,” Vicky growled. “I have eyes.”

“It’s not, no, I know Supergirl. We’ve, umm, well, we’ve done some work together.”

“Oh really? You’re gonna tell me you’re what? Superman?”

“No. My research has been, well, relevant to some of her cases.”

“And you followed her out of a bar like a goddam puppy to do what? Ask her if she’d like to come back to your place and handle your microscope?”

“Ew, no! Gross, she’s like a—” Alex stopped short. “I don’t think of her like that. I just needed to, er, clear some things up with her.”

“Clear what up, exactly?”

“Just well, why I was, you know, out in that part of town.”

“Care to clarify? What, you can’t call it the gay ghetto?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“So, okay, to make this a little more straightforward. You couldn’t keep your hands off me all night. You flirt with me like crazy. You disappear for a minute. Supergirl shows up. Some fight happens. Supergirl takes a bunch of pictures, clearly down with the gays. But you need to follow your sometimes colleague outside, abandoning me without a word, to make it known that you, Alex Danvers, were only at a gay bar as what? An ally?”

“Sorry we’re not all ready to scream, ‘I’m gay!’ to the whole world yet!”

“You’ve had twelve years to get used to how it sounds! Twelve fucking years, Alex! And what? Supergirl’s opinion of you matters that much? She’s a goddam superhero. She doesn’t give a shit what you do with your life!”

“You don’t know anything about my life,” Alex growled, her voice dropping several octaves.

“But you know so much about mine? You know so much about what it feels like to be a senior in high school, so happy to have finally figured yourself out, to have found out in that moment that your best friend is right with you, wanting to take that next step forward, and then to have it all ripped out from under your feet? You know what it feels like to be the lonely gay kid in Midvale who suddenly has no friends? To know that everyone around you can look to their fucking president who, let’s remember, has since proven himself to be better at finger-painting than governing, for backup when they call you a freak, a sinner, a pervert? And knowing that the one woman you had risked it all for, who had sent you every fucking signal that she’d be right there with you, wouldn’t even look at you anymore? Tell me more about how hard your life is,” she spat at Alex, her voice dripping with years of pent-up anger that masked a much deeper sense of betrayal.

Tears welling in her eyes, Alex whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize. Don’t try to pretend you can make things right with two little words. They’re empty. I was sure, so sure, that you had finally figured yourself out. That even though I had to get hurt in the process, you had gotten there eventually, to a place where you didn’t need to run and hide from acquaintances in bars. And then you go and do this. And you just dredge up every bad memory I had worked so hard to push down because honest to god, Al, I had just wanted to be your friend. I had wanted to forget all of the crap from high school and just be us again, best friends.”

“I still want that. Please,” Alex pleaded, her voice low and thick with emotion.

“Don’t beg. Don’t whisper. Don’t fucking plead with me. Fight back. Prove to me that there is anything here worth fighting for.” Vicky’s voice had risen in volume and dropped in pitch with each staccato sentence, reaching a loud growl by the end.

“Then you shut the fuck up. I hurt you; I get it. But don’t act like I didn’t suffer. Don’t you dare act like you know why I followed K—Supergirl out of that bar. You might know the pain of being lonely and out for a summer before leaving for college, but you have no idea what it’s like to live with shame and self-hatred for twelve years. You don’t know what it’s like to watch all of the academic and professional success you’ve fought tooth and nail for start to crumble under you because you can’t sleep at night without a tall glass of whiskey to make you forget, because you can’t rest until you’ve gotten some drunk asshole to fuck you in a grimy club bathroom to convince yourself that you can live like that.”

Vicky paused. She had wanted the screaming and yelling, but she didn’t expect to glimpse the deep reservoirs of pain the crack in Alex’s voice had revealed. “I’m sorry…for making assumptions.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no. You don’t get to make me scream at you and bare my soul only to pull the same shit. You wanted angry, well you’ve got it! Now what are you going to do with it?”

Hearing the challenge in Alex’s voice, Vicky rushed forward, knocking Alex against the wall, neighbors be damned. She took Alex’s lips in hers and kissed her hard. After a split second of hesitation, Alex’s mouth molded to hers, Alex’s strong hands found their way to her ass, gripping it tightly as she pulled her in closer. The kiss deepened as Alex slid her teeth along Vicky’s bottom lip, the other woman whimpering with need. Reclaiming her lip from between Alex’s teeth, Vicky ran her tongue across Alex’s lips, asking, demanding entrance until Alex opened her mouth and tangled one of her hands in Vicky’s hair, feeling an urgent need to touch more of the woman. Pushing back against Vicky, she spun them around, reversing their positions.

Her back hitting the wall, Vicky released Alex’s lips, panting as she let her head fall back and rest on the cool drywall. Seizing the opportunity, Alex moved her lips down to Vicky’s jaw, kissing her way down her neck and nipping slightly at her collar bone, feeling a rush of satisfaction as the woman’s breath hitched.

“What do you need?” Alex growled, her voice low, almost predatory. The sound of it made Vicky weak at the knees

“Clothes. Off,” Vicky managed to choke out. Alex moved first, ripping Vicky’s shirt off as buttons clattered across the hardwood floor. Throwing the now useless garment on the floor, Vicky tossed Alex’s blazer on the sofa and, not even bothering to try the buttons, pulled her shirt over her head, then reached around and unclasped the woman’s bra in one smooth motion. Alex licked her lips, feeling heat building inside her. Vicky paused, drinking in the sight of a shirtless Alex Danvers. She never thought this was something she’d see again. The woman looked good. Vicky dragged her short nails down Alex’s torso, grinning wickedly as she felt the woman’s already toned stomach grow even tauter. Alex kicked off her shoes, noting that Vicky had somehow already pulled off her own.

“Are you going to keep undressing me,” Vicky taunted, “Or have you already lost your nerve? Again.”

Bristling at the challenge, Alex lunged forward, managing to get Vicky’s bra off after just a try or two. As if to cover for her moment of clumsiness, Alex reached down to quickly unbutton Vicky’s jeans, pulling the zipper down as she slid her hand inside. “You’re so wet already,” Alex purred, feeling the wetness soaking through the cotton of the woman’s underwear.

“You gonna do something about that?” Vicky taunted, knowing just how to push Alex’s buttons.

Suddenly frustrated with the barriers between her and the woman, Alex roughly pushed the clothing down and out of her way, letting her knees hit the floor as she pulled Vicky’s calves and feet free from the tangled mess.

“I like you on your knees, Al. It’s a good look.”

“If you want me to stay down here, I better hear you ask nicely.”

Vicky flicked her tongue over her teeth, pleased to hear Alex starting to take charge as well. This time, she thought, she’d let Alex have the moment without the heated back-and-forth she’d normally insist upon. “I want your tongue on my pussy now. Please?” Vicky added at the end, looking down at Alex. The sight of the toned woman kneeling, mouth just inches away from where she need it to be, pushed Vicky to try even harder. “Please, I need you.”

With a cocky grin, Alex dove in, letting her enthusiasm make up for her very, very limited experience. She ran her tongue over the woman’s folds, dipping inside to taste the copious wetness that had begun to drip down the woman’s thighs. Alex groaned, the tightness of her jeans suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Distracted by her own desire, Alex had let her tongue slow to a stop until Vicky reached down urging Alex’s face back towards her. Suddenly Vicky paused too. “You okay? Still good with this?” She hadn’t wanted to disturb the moment, but she worried about Alex’s stillness.

Alex responded by diving back in with renewed enthusiasm, flicking her tongue across the woman’s clit, feeling it harden underneath her tongue. Vicky cried out with the sudden attention being lavished on her clit. Normally she wouldn’t be ready for that yet, but this situation, well, it was something else entirely. She moaned as Alex continued her ministrations, but then, yet again, she noticed a slowing, though this time, Alex hadn’t pulled her head back; she just hovered, hot breath teasing her, not enough, never enough. Vicky pulled her head forward from the wall, looking down at the woman between her thighs. What she saw made the sudden slowing of Alex’s tongue worth it. There was Alex Danvers, head buried between her legs, with one hand covertly wedged under her waistband, fingers moving desperately, trying to relieve the pressure that had become so overwhelming she couldn’t focus on anything else.

Vicky decided to be nice and cleared her throat, letting Alex know she had noticed the pause. A blush quickly climbed Alex’s chest and turned her face crimson as she pulled her hand out of her pants in a less-than-discrete motion. “C’mon, tiger, I’m not mad. I guess I just didn’t realize how gay you were. How turned on you’d get from licking my pussy.” Alex could only whimper her agreement. Vicky smirked. “Then let’s go get something to help with that, okay?” Again, Alex just nodded.

Helping Alex off the ground, Vicky led her into the bedroom. “How about I take these off. Sound good?”

“Please,” Alex choked out, moaning in appreciation as Vicky made quick work of removing the last of her clothing.

Looking down, Vicky gasped. She’d known that Alex was turned on, but she hadn’t expected this. Hadn’t expected the woman’s inner thighs to be glistening already, before she’d even touched her. She ran her tongue up and along those thighs, tasting Alex and enjoying the redhead’s desperate moans as she bucked her hips up, trying to make contact with Vicky’s tongue. “Uh uh, not yet.” Vicky shook her head at Alex. “I waited twelve years. You can wait twelve minutes.” The look in Alex’s eyes suggested that she really doubted her ability to wait twelve whole minutes. “The faster you make me come, the faster you get my tongue inside you.” Alex’s eyes widened, and her lips parted. Vicky suspected she would remember that look for a very long time.

Fumbling in a drawer for a moment, Vicky pulled out something small and silver. Alex tried to see what it was, but couldn’t quite make it out from across the room. “You really don’t know what I’ve got for you?” Alex shook her head no. “Wow. You really did hate yourself, huh?” She was only teasing, though there was a part of her that wondered how repressed Alex had been if she didn’t even recognize a vibrator. She clicked it on, keeping it on the lowest setting. At the noise, something in Alex’s mind clicked, finally making the connection between Vicky’s offer of relief and the little silver bullet.

“Now, there’s at least one position that would make this very easy for you. Unless you don’t need this…” Vicky flicked her wrist, swirling the vibrating toy around.

“No!”

“No what?”

“I do, I, yeah. I want that. Please.”

“You won’t let it be too much of a distraction?”

“No. I promise.”

The woman looked so desperate that Vicky decided to relent. “How do you want me?”

“On my tongue.”

Vicky chuckled. “Yes, okay, good. But I meant, where do you want me? On the bed? Do you think you can kneel, take care of me, and hold this against yourself?” Alex suddenly looked unsure. She had been using both hands to steady herself and Vicky in the living room. “Or,” Vicky paused, “You could lie on your back, while I bring my pussy to you. I can hold my weight up, so I promise I won’t crush you.”

Alex was less worried than she was intrigued. The idea of having such easy access sounded perfect, and she threw herself down on the bed, pushing herself further up toward the pillows.

Grinning, Vicky moved up to straddle Alex’s face as she placed the softly vibrating toy in Alex’s hand. “Enjoy yourself,” she instructed with a wink.

She knew the second Alex found her clit with the vibrator. The gasp. The whispered, “Oh my god.” But not forgetting her promise to make Vicky come, Alex used her other hand to grip Vicky’s waist and guide her to her waiting mouth.

It was almost too much for Alex. Almost. The taste of Vicky on her tongue. The string of obscene gasps floating down from Vicky’s mouth. The feeling of Vicky’s thighs trembling and tensing around her. The vibrations slowly but surely pushing Alex closer and closer to her own orgasm. She buried her tongue deep inside Vicky, hearing the woman on top of her let out a guttural moan.

“I need more. Please. Fuck me.” Alex was shocked to hear the need in Vicky’s voice. “Wait!” Vicky pulled away from Alex slightly. “Let me see your nails.”

If Alex had been confused before, she was even more so now. But she complied, gripping the vibrator between her legs as she held both hands up to Vicky. “Which hand do you write with?” Alex held up her right hand for assessment. Vicky nodded. Apparently Alex had passed. “I want you to put two fingers inside me and fuck me, okay? You good in this position?”

With a bit of maneuvering, Alex was able to position her hand properly, and she nodded up at Vicky.

“Good,” Vicky started to say as Alex pulled her clit back into her mouth and slowly worked two fingers inside of her. Overwhelmed by the rush of sensation, Vicky could only gasp for air, resting her forehead against the cool wall as she relaxed into Alex’s mouth and hands. Careful of Alex’s face, Vicky slowly began to move herself up and down on Alex’s fingers. Once she had established a pace, she looked down with Alex and, with ragged breaths, asked, “Think you can match me? Can you fuck me a little faster, a little harder?”

Without a word, Alex complied. The sound of Vicky’s strangled cry sent a rush of arousal down Alex’s body. She needed more. Finding the button on top of the small vibrator, Alex clicked it once, praying it wouldn’t turn the toy off. The vibrations sped up, and Alex groaned loudly in pleasure. The noises vibrated across Vicky’s clit, leaving her breathless.

“Please. Alex. Please keep—so close. Please. Don’t. Stop.” The woman tensed above her, but Alex knew better than to stop yet. A few moments later, Vicky gasped and shuddered against her, leaving Alex grinning and just seconds away from her own orgasm. Removing herself from Alex’s fingers, Vicky looked down just in time to see Alex’s hips bucking and her breathing growing shallow and ragged. When she quickly pulled the vibrator away, Alex let out an indignant whine, grabbing for Vicky’s hand.

“Now, now, Alex. That’s no way to treat your hostess. I’m going to make it so worth your wait, though.” With that, Vicky moved down Alex’s body. In one quick motion, she had her tongue swirling across Alex’s pussy, drinking in the wetness before finding the woman’s clit and taking it in her mouth, gently sucking it. She moved one hand between Alex’s legs, pushing a finger inside as her other hand reached out to gently pinch and tease Alex’s nipples. Alex moaned at the rush of attention finally being given to her body.

“More,” Alex gasped out, and Vicky added in a second finger. The woman was so wet that even two fingers slid easily in and out of her.

“More,” Alex panted once again. “Please. So close.” Carefully adding a third finger, Vicky looked up to see Alex’s mouth open as she let out a silent cry. Curling her fingers inside of Alex, stroking the rough spot inside her walls, Vicky sucked Alex’s clit more insistently. The wave of sensation sent Alex hurdling over the edge, her back and hips arched up to meet Vicky in desperation until she slowly flopped back down, panting and smiling.

Vicky slowly extracted her fingers, sucking them clean one by one as Alex’s eyes tracked her every motion. She leaned down, joining their lips in a languid kiss before settling into Alex’s side.

“How ya feeling, champ?”

“Oh my god,” Alex breathed out. A beat of silence, then, “I’m so gay.”

“Just now realizing it?” The two women laughed in unison, feeling the last remnants of the tension of the evening slowly dissipate.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Vicky turned to Alex and asked, “Ready for round two?”

“Oh my god, you can do more?” Alex seemed shocked.

“How bad are men?” Vicky was genuinely curious, having never looked back after prom night. When Alex just laughed, Vicky pressed on, “No really. I mean, do you only get one?”

“Honey, you’re lucky if you get one!”

“Why do people have sex with men?” Vicky laughed.

“Okay, no, I’m sure some women enjoy themselves. Like maybe if you had a boyfriend instead of a one night stand, it could be better.”

“Or maybe if, you know, you liked them?” Vicky teased.

“That’d probably help too,” Alex admitted with a soft laugh.

“Well, let me remind you how much you like pussy.” Vicky’s fingers curved under Alex’s jaw, guiding her mouth back up to her and softly kissing Alex’s lips before deepening it, ready to start making up for all the years of mediocre hetero sex Alex had endured.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delightful awkwardness, plus some sexting, which leads to even more awkwardness (aka, story of Alex's life)

A shrill alarm blared from Vicky’s phone the next morning, startling Alex as Vicky stumbled in the dark, trying to find where she had left her phone the night before. A few painfully loud seconds and one stubbed toe later, the ringing finally ceased. Vicky let herself fall back into the bed with a soft thump. She peered up at Alex. Even with the string of profanities trailing out of her mouth after the unpleasant alarm, she looked adorable, her hair sticking up at odd angles and her eyes struggling to open fully. “Morning sunshine!”

“Mmph.”

“What time do you need to be on campus?”

“Campus?”

“It’s a Friday…still have work today.”

“Fuck. I’m trying to think. I think I have a student coming in at noon? Or earlier?”

“You had like two drinks. How are you this hungover?

“One, I’m not hungover; I’m waiting for my coffee. Two, we went to bed like two hours ago, so I’m working on even less than normal. Three, I’ll remember that when I have my coffee. And find my phone.”

“You’re a hot mess, Al.”

“You didn’t seem to mind last night.”

“Not in the slightest. I wouldn’t mind this morning either…”

“Coffee and toothbrush are both necessary before anything else can happen.”

“Yes, yes. Also your phone is on the couch with your blazer.”

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you!” Alex stretched and dragged herself out of bed, surprised to find how sore she felt.

Vicky tried to stifle a laugh, clearing noticing how stiff the other woman was. “Bet you didn’t know that the gay lifestyle is also a patented workout, guaranteed to target all those muscles you didn’t realize you even had until they were sore.”

Alex lazily lifted her hand up to her shoulder to flip Vicky off.

“Now we all know there are better uses for that finger.”

Alex raised her other hand to double the effect.

“My, my, we didn’t even get to double penetration,” Vicky teased.

Alex cocked her head to the side, pausing for a moment before her face flushed, comprehension finally dawning on her. Trying not to let her inexperience show, Alex kept her back turned as she scrolled through her emails and opened her calendar to see what she had going on today. “I’ve got a meeting on campus at 11, then, oh shit, a new faculty development seminar that I’m leading at 12:30.”

“Ooh, gonna see your girlfriend?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Alex. We were best friends for years. I’ve seen the way you look at Maggie; I do have eyes.”

“Maybe, no, I don’t know. Isn’t this weird? We just had sex. All night. And you propositioned me again this morning.”

“I didn’t hear you say no…” Vicky waggled her eyebrows suggestively before breaking off into giggles. “And no, it’s not weird. Last night was, well, it was something I think we both needed. It was emotional and fun, but closure in its own way. You know?”

Alex nodded. She actually did get it, but was still pleasantly surprised to find that Vicky had felt the same way, that there wouldn’t be any lingering awkwardness between them.

“Don’t get me wrong, if you still plan on pining after Maggie without ever doing anything about it and want a fun night to distract yourself, I’m totally here for you. But if you want to do the lesbian U-Haul thing, start looking elsewhere. Might I suggest the vegan bakery up on 78th?”

Alex laughed and shook her head. “It’s not like that with Maggie. I’m sure I just crushed on her because, I don’t know, she forced me to think about my sexuality again and to actually finally reckon with it this time around. And, by the way, I did mean my apology last night. You didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of my own shame.”

“I’m over it, really. Last night just drudged up some old emotions, but you were right too, I hadn’t thought about it from your side. But as far as Maggie goes, you could not be more wrong. You hung out with this woman for what? Like a week? And already she had you hanging out in the gayborhood, getting your lesbian education on, looking at her with a look that I _know_ is not just about appreciating her outfits. And I’d bet good money on the fact that she’s into you too.”

“Just, leave it. I still haven’t had my damn coffee.”

“Fine, fine. We need to leave here in a little less than an hour so I can make it in for my 10 o’clock. Last chance offer: I want to shower; I’m guessing you do too. Care to join me for old times’ sake? There’s a brand new toothbrush in the bathroom and everything.”

Now that she was comfortable in the knowledge that Vicky didn’t see this as a start of a relationship, Alex figured, why not. “Lead the way. It’s good for the planet, right?”

One very relaxing shower later, Alex and Vicky were finally dressed and ready to leave. “I still haven’t gotten my coffee,” Alex pouted.

“Oh my god, woman, calm down! We’re going to stop at the café we went to last time. It’s faster than waiting for it to brew here.” Within a few minutes, Alex was grinning like a kid with a lollipop as the barista handed her a large dark roast and a muffin.

“Oh my god, this is better than sex,” Alex moaned as she took a sip of the coffee, not even minding the small burns she was enduring.

“Maybe better than sex with men, but can it really compare to last night…”

A familiar voice chimed in: “A woman after my own heart.”

“Maggie?” Alex spun around, sloshing a few drops of scalding liquid onto her hand.

“The one and only.” Turning to Vicky, she added, “Good to see you again. Anyways, I should really be off, need to get to campus for office hours.”

Deciding to play matchmaker, Vicky chimed in, “Want a ride?” Ignoring Alex’s panicked glare, she continued, “I know you normally ride your motorcycle in, which I’m sure Alex appreciates, but it’s already starting to rain, and I know that can’t be fun for anyone.”

Stammering to correct Vicky’s statement, Alex cut her off, “I mean it’s just nice having someone else who likes to ride motorcycles, you know? Because not many other professors do. And sometimes there’s confusion, you know, if I say bike, then the bicyclists who pedal and such, they get confused.”

Vicky looked at Alex and shook her head. The girl was utterly hopeless. Then again, Maggie didn’t look like she minded too much. Vicky would bet that Maggie put effort into making Alex blush and stammer as often as possible. It was endearing, if you were into that sort of thing. “Come on,” Vicky pushed, “Just get in my car.”

The car ride over was painfully awkward, though Vicky loved every second of it. It was so obvious that Alex and Maggie both liked each other, though she doubted that either of them would ever believe that their crush was reciprocated. When she parked her car and waved them off to the science building, she called out, “Have a great day, you two! Play nice! Don’t bite unless you get consent first!” Alex’s furious blush coupled with Maggie’s smirk made the askance looks she received from a few passersby totally worth it.

\---

“So,” Maggie began, “you were far from your place pretty early in the morning.” Alex blushed. Maggie felt a weight settle in her stomach. “You and Vicky seem…closer than usual.” The deepening hues of Alex’s cheeks seemed to confirm Maggie’s worst fears. “Well, that’s really great, Alex. And I mean, she’s hot, Danvers, so well done!” Alex heard the switch in names, saw Maggie distancing herself.

“Wait, Maggie, let me explain.”

“No need, really. I’m proud of you, coming out swinging like that.” And that was true enough; Maggie was happy to see Alex being, well, happy. Even if she wasn’t the cause of it. But that was selfish; it wasn’t like she would ever have gone for Alex anyway. The girl was fresh off the boat, and since Kate, Maggie hadn’t exactly been successful at keeping up a relationship for more than a few dates—enough to get laid, not enough to deal with emotions.

“Please. Just, maybe beer and pizza at my place tonight? I could use my gay mentor.”

Maggie grimaced at the moniker, even though that’s exactly the role she had wanted to play. “Not tonight, sorry. I’m seeing someone…tonight, that is, for a date.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, of course. You should be.” Despite knowing she had just been out with another woman, Alex still felt jealousy roll through her. “Anyway, well, I’ll see you around.”

“Danvers, wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Well, three things. First of all, I’ll see you in like, two hours at your seminar thing. I assume you didn’t forget? Second, what do you say to TV, beer, and another cooking lesson at your place on Saturday?”

“That sounds good. And yes, of course we still have our meeting. But what was three?”

A loud voice interrupted them: “Oh my gosh, Alex! There you are! You haven’t been answering anything all night or this morning. Where have you been?”

“Oh, Alex has been a little preoccupied, barely even slept,” Maggie teased with a big grin, trying to mask the unsettling emotions that whirled around the back of her mind.

Alex punched Maggie’s upper arm, perhaps a bit too hard, as she turned to Kara and tried to explain away Maggie’s words and the tone she had used. “Sorry, my phone had just died, and I was hanging out after everything from last night.” She gave Kara a pointed look, hoping she’d remember the alien and let the topic just drop.

“You know I worry! Also, wait, didn’t you wear that yesterday?”

“Is everyone the fashion police these days?” Alex snapped as Maggie tried to hide her laughter. Kara just looked hurt. “Sorry, like Maggie said, I had some trouble sleeping.”

“Not what I said,” Maggie began, though she shut up quickly after catching sight of Alex’s glare.

“Wait, you’re the Maggie? Maggie who dared to steal my sister’s mug and lived to tell the tale Maggie?” A huge grin overtook Kara’s face as she began to piece together the new parts of Alex’s life that had slowly started making her sister into a happier person.

“Guilty as charged.” Maggie shot an apologetic glance back at Alex, realizing her mistake in nearly outing (not that she ever really would have) Alex to her little sister, who seemed to mean the world to her. “That must make you Kara. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Only good things, I hope?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve heard plenty about you too.” Kara smiled, unaware of the very particular reason why Alex didn’t need Maggie hearing the extent to which she might have gushed about her with Kara. “It’s so nice to put a name to a face.”

“Yes, great for both of you. Anyway, we should really go. Kara, doesn’t Dean Grant need you back in her office by now?” Alex was desperate to separate these two women before either one of them said something that would out her secrets to the other.

“Oh no,” Kara carried on, wholly oblivious, “Lena’s actually meeting me up here.”

Suddenly suspicious, Alex asked, “Why would that be?”

“Did you know, she actually has a graduate degree in bioengineering? She really wanted to see Winn’s work. And with the amount of scholarship money she’s about to donate, Dean Grant has asked me to see to it that all of her needs are met.”

“Now is that the only reason you’re still keeping me company,” a low voice purred from behind them.

“Oh, Lena!” Kara forced a laugh. “No, of course not. I love spending time with you!” Maggie quirked an eyebrow up, trying to figure out the relationship between the two. “Lena, you remember my sister. And this is her friend, Maggie Sawyer. She’s also a professor here.”

Maggie shook Lena’s hand. Looking closer at the raven-haired woman, she asked, “Wait, I swear I’ve met you before. You look so familiar.” Lena shifted, looking slightly ill at ease. So many people remembered her from press conferences after Lex’s arrest; she really didn’t want to go over that again. “Ohhh, oh, okay. It’s not important.” Maggie remembered where she had seen Lena before, barely recognizing her in such a different setting. She flashed a dimpled smile at Lena, which seemed to trigger a vague recognition in the other girl as well. Slowly, a smile crossed her face. She’d seen those dimples at a queer women’s tea dance earlier this year, but she was grateful for Maggie’s discretion on the matter. Kara and Alex just shrugged at each other, neither one quite understanding the interaction that had passed.

“Well,” Kara tried, “shall I take you down to Winn’s lab? I’m sure he’s excited to discuss his research with you.”

“Lead the way.” Lena linked her arm in Kara’s and flashed a grin over her shoulder at Maggie, leaving Alex feeling slightly uneasy about the connection between the two.

\---

Friday night saw Alex curled on her couch with a glass of wine and a pint of ice cream, trying to decide which one would help more. She didn’t regret last night, but she didn’t like how she had left things with Maggie. But then, Maggie was out on a date tonight. Maggie may well be having sex right now. That thought led Alex to put down the ice cream and pick up the wine. She knew she didn’t have any good reason for being jealous, but she still felt oddly protective over Maggie, like she wanted her all to herself. Despite Vicky’s teasing, Alex doubted that the dimpled professor felt anything for her in return. And she still wasn’t convinced that what she felt was more than a crush. Sure, she loved spending time with Maggie and wished they had more of it, even though they already saw each other almost every day. And yes, they cooked and cleaned up and hung out, doing all of the domestic things that would normally have made Alex gag but that somehow, with Maggie, felt like fun. And of course she found Maggie physically attractive, but who wouldn’t? But the slight nausea that hit her every time she remembered Maggie’s date started to nag at her, making her think that maybe there was something more than a crush underlying her feelings for the other woman. She really didn’t have time to consider that, though. And it seemed professionally inappropriate. At least Vicky worked in another department, and they knew each other outside of work already.

In an attempt to distract herself, Alex loaded The L Word. Maggie had told her she could watch some without her, since she’d already seen all of it more than once, and Alex figured there was no harm in going ahead. She settled back into her couch as now-familiar faces popped back onto her screen, forcing her to think about the last time she’d been watching this show (and the fantasies that night had inspired).

A couple more episodes in, Alex couldn’t lie: she was hooked. Sure, the show wasn’t the best thing on television and it had its problems, but she could deal with them in exchange for seeing some attractive gay ladies on her screen. Watching Bette and Tina’s break-up sex, Alex was flooded with memories of the night before. She and Vicky didn’t have quite the same emotions, but the anger and raw passion was something they had felt, at least in the beginning…when Vicky had shoved her roughly up against the wall. Alex pulled out her phone, fingers hovering over Vicky’s number. It was starting to get late, not late enough that her call would have to be seen as a booty call, but definitely late enough that Vicky would know she hadn’t been planned in advance. Maybe a text would do…

“What are you up to?” she wrote, figuring it was innocuous enough. She left The L Word on, figuring she might as well keep herself entertained while she waited for a response.

A few minutes later her phone buzzed, “Not much. For some reason I found myself a bit tired today…wonder why.” Then, a few seconds later: “You?”

Alex debated how honest she should be, ultimately deciding that Vicky knew her well enough to pick out any lies. “Watching the l word since I missed out on all of lesbian culture. So, the usual haha.”

“Have a favorite yet?” Vicky texted back.

“It varies.”

“But you’d fuck Bette or Shane?”

“What’s wrong with Dana?”

“Oh my god you would be a Dana.” A few seconds later, she sent a clarifying text: “Dana is wonderful and we all love her. But of course you pick the one who takes forever to come out.”

“Ugh. Don’t want to talk about coming out right now. Please send distractions not more stress.”

Reading and rereading Alex’s last text, Vicky tried to decipher the intent. Was Alex doing that thing she did where she was unintentionally flirty or was she asking for what was implied? After last night, Vicky really wasn’t sure. Figuring that she didn’t have much to lose, she went for it: “Do you miss the distractions I provided last night?”

Alex whimpered softly when she saw the response. She did miss it. Her stomach clenched as warmth spread through her lower half. “I did enjoy myself. And from what I remember it sounded like you did too.”

Vicky smiled. Alex never had been one to half-ass anything, so it seemed only appropriate that she was throwing herself into the lesbian sex scene with as much effort as she had her AP courses in high school. “I’m wet just thinking about it. You dropping to your knees to lick my pussy isn’t an image I’ll forget anytime soon. Not that I’d want to.”

Ignoring the blush that spread across her chest, Alex felt need pooling low in her abdomen. “Nothing like looking up to see your,” Alex paused, trying to figure out the best word to use…breasts seemed a little nineteenth-century, while boobs sounded like a word a teenage boy would use; tits seemed crass, though perhaps the whole sexting enterprise already was… She deleted what she’d written. “I miss your hands in my hair pulling me deeper inside of you. I wish I’d spent more time kissing your body. I want to feel your nipples harden in my mouth.” Alex debated sending what was possibly the most lewd message she’d ever written, but as she finished her wine, she decided to just hit send.

“Damn, Al. Coming out looks good on you. I can think of so many ways I could have taken you. So many possibilities we didn’t even have time to explore. I could have had you on your knees, your ass grinding into me, my hands pulling your hair and scratching your back.”

“I think I’d rather have your hands busy somewhere else…”

“There are other ways. I’d even let you pick one from my drawer.”

“Do you mean?”

“Yes, baby gay Danvers. Before you object, it’s nothing like the shitty sex you used to have. I’m still the one wearing it. I’m still the one fucking you and holding you and kissing you.”

“I’m listening.”

“You were so wet, dripping all over my hands and my tongue. You could’ve taken one of my biggest. I can see me fucking you with the purple one. It’s got ridges in all the right places to make you scream.”

“Mm, yeah?” Alex let her hands drift down, surprised once more at how wet she already was.

“Yeah. Maybe I’ll use it on myself tonight in your honor.”

“Tell me.”

“Or do you want me to show you?”

Alex gasped, dropping her phone down as a wave of arousal crashed over her. Fumbling for her phone, she barely typed out, “Please. I’m desperate. So close.” Wishing she had a toy herself, she contented herself with her hand, which felt even more inadequate now that she had last night as a reference point. She looked back at her phone, wondering why she hadn’t gotten a response yet. She saw that her text to Vicky must not have sent, so she quickly sent it again. Figuring it would take her another minute to take a picture, Alex quickly navigated back to the scene of Candace fucking Bette in the hotel. She felt a bit squeamish about her body’s visceral reaction to the scene, but she couldn’t fight fight it; she loved every second of it. She loved the desperation. She loved the scandalized heterosexual couple. She loved Candace forcing the ever-dominant Bette under her. Alex pushed her hand under her waistband and traced slow circles over her clit as she felt the tension rise. She heard her phone buzz and while normally she would hate the interruption, she fumbled desperately for her phone, praying it was Vicky.

It was. A photo of Vicky’s torso and lower body took over her screen. A ridged purple dildo half inside of her, her fingers circling her clit, her wetness clearly visible on the exposed half of the toy. Alex moaned loudly, surprised at how vocal she’d suddenly become. She noticed the message underneath the photo. “I showed you mine, now show me yours.

Uncomfortable with taking a photo of herself just now—she was in flannel pajamas after all—Alex contented herself with a picture of her glistening fingers half inside her mouth as she licked her own wetness away.

The next message arrived almost immediately. “Come over?”

“Do I need clothes for that?”

“Don’t tease me like that. At least tell me what you’re doing.”

Alex began a detailed message, still wondering if she should throw on clothes. The glasses of wine without much of a dinner told her that the best thing to do was stay home. Stay home and text her friend. Which was so much better than staying home and thinking about her other friend. Out on a date. She renewed her efforts, adding more and more detail to what was becoming a rather lengthy message. Finally content, she hit send and pressed play to resume her scene. She figured she had a couple minutes to make it through the full scene now, giving her fingers ample time to wander.

A gust coming from the balcony made her squeal, and for once, Kara’s voice did nothing to calm her down. She ripped her hand from her pants, quickly wiping her fingers across her shirt and trying to fan herself to calm the pink tinge that had crept up her chest. Fumbling with the remote and her phone, she managed to stop the show and silence her phone.

“Alex?” the voice called as Kara poked her head through the doorway. “Oh thank god, you’re okay!”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Alex snapped.

“Well I got your text message…it was so unclear. I didn’t know what had happened to you, and I got so worried!”

“What text?”

“Something about please and you being desperate or something. I was so scared that you were dealing with alien attacks two nights in a row.” Kara felt her heart slowing, though she noticed that Alex’s was still racing, just as fast if not a bit faster than when she had flown in through the balcony window. “Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Kara. Now hurry along. We’re still on for sister brunch tomorrow, right? Meet you at your place at 11 with donuts. See you then!” Alex tried to push Kara out of her apartment, but the overprotective blonde was having none of it.

“Something clearly upset you! Your heart rate is through the roof. Is there someone in here? Is this a hostage situation?”

Part of Alex wanted to laugh at Kara’s guard dog-like determination, but the other part desperately needed her to get out now. Kara explained that she was just going to look around before she left. As she began her assessment of the apartment, she noticed the scene frozen on Alex’s television. While Alex had been able to pause the scene, evidently she had missed the power button. “Uhm, Alex,” Kara began, clearly very uncomfortable, “Are you, uh, are you watching,” she looked around, double checking that they were alone, before whispering, “porn?”

“Shit, fuck, no!” Alex fumbled with the remote, accidentally hitting play once before she managed to hit the power button. An awkward silence hung in the air. Alex squeaked out, “It’s, no, it’s just like HBO or something. You know how TV is these days.”

“Well, uhm, I guess I should go. Don’t see anyone here who shouldn’t be. Okay, well, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Without a second look back, Kara shot out the window, letting the cool night air clear her thoughts.

Still trembling, Alex dropped back onto her couch, noticing the string of messages she had missed from Vicky—most of which were very explicit and absolutely something she had wanted until Kara’s surprise visit. The last two seemed more concerned. Alex picked up her phone, debating once more how much of the truth she should give. “Long story, Kara dropped by unannounced. You look amazing, seriously. Will save your texts for my shower tomorrow to make it a little less lonely, but right now I’m still feeling a bit traumatized. Hope your night went better than mine.”

\---

Alex woke early, her heart already racing as anxiety kicked in about having to face Kara after last night’s surprise visit. Trying to slow her breathing, Alex told herself she hadn’t been doing anything wrong; it really was just television, not porn. Sure, she’d been using it a bit like porn, but there was absolutely no reason why Kara should know that. She wondered whether Kara had noticed that it was two women on her screen…she knew that a conversation needed to happen and soon, but she kept finding ways to put it off. Really, it wasn’t her fault that life kept getting in the way. Life and Lena Luthor.

A chime from her phone pulled Alex from her thoughts. “Sorry if I overdid it last night,” read the message from Vicky.

“Not in the slightest!” Alex didn’t want Vicky to think her radio silence had anything to do with her. She really did have every intention of returning to those text messages when she had time and guaranteed privacy.

“Okay…”

“I promise. You were so hot. I’m pretty sad it was all for nothing.”

“Maybe for you ;)”

“I hate you. You get an orgasm, while I get a surprise visit from my baby sister.”

“It’s not like she knew what you were up to. Don’t be so paranoid.”

“Funny story…”

“Dude, tell me she doesn’t have a key.”

“Something like that…”

“Literally caught with your pants down. Only you, Alex, only you.”

Then a second text from Vicky: “Sorry, I shouldn’t mock your pain. But it’s just so damn funny :D”

“Rude. And no. I was clothed with no hands anywhere they shouldn’t be seen.”

“So then you’re fine. She’s not god.”

Alex wasn’t even sure why she was admitting this to anyone, but she had a suspicion that telling someone might help with the shame. Though, perhaps that logic should be a sign about coming out. “Well…there may have been something on my screen.”

“YOU WERE WATCHING PORN?!?”

“NO!”

“You passed up on sex with me, a real live woman, to stream porn?”

“NO! 1. I was still debating if I was sober enough to drive. 2. It wasn’t porn. It just…looked like porn. You know The L Word.”

“1. Don’t drink and drive. Good girl. 2. LOLZ”

“Fuck you. I don’t know why I told you.”

“Because you love me, duh.” Vicky continued, “So is that gonna be your segue into coming out to Kara?”

“Ugh idk. I have brunch with her today, which I can only imagine will be painfully awkward.”

“The majority of your interactions are awkward. This will just be…slightly more so. But seriously, Al, you’ll feel better. Secrets are only fun when they’re gossip about other people.”

“Maybe…”

“Well let me know if you need anything. Except sexting. Not tonight. Got a date and I wouldn’t want to give her the wrong idea ;)”

Somehow Alex didn’t particularly mind the idea of Vicky going on a date. She’d have to return to the particulars of Maggie and Maggie’s dating life later. For now, though, she just needed to shower, buy donuts, and get to Kara’s without chickening out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex finally coming out to Kara!
> 
> Mentions of anxiety/references to panic attacks

“It’s open!” Kara yelled from the kitchen.

“Hey,” Alex called quietly, remaining in the doorway, still feeling far too uncomfortable to make eye contact. Even if Kara didn’t know what exactly was going on when she arrived, Alex did.

“Donuts please! There was a 12-car pileup this morning, and I’m starving.” Even though Alex could see the faint pink tinge on Kara’s cheeks, she appreciated that her sister wasn’t bringing up last night.

The two girls settled into the couch. Moving on to her second donut, Kara wiggled her fingers over the box, debating between a cream-filled or an old fashioned. “You’re going to eat them both anyways,” Alex teased. “Why don’t you just put both on your plate and alternate?”

“This is why you always did so well in school. Very logical.” Kara beamed at her older sister, but her smile faltered when she saw Alex’s expression. Even teasing Kara, Alex still looked concerned, her eyebrows furrowed and her fingers tapping rapidly against the side of her leg. “So, what’s up with you?” Kara tried.

“Nothing important. You! Tell me more about you! How’s work going?”

“Alex, we literally had an hour-long conversation about my job a couple days ago, then you saw me doing my other ‘job’ on Thursday. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Thursday…that would be an easy place to start. Alex’s heart hammered away in her chest. She knew telling Kara was the right thing to do. Not because she owed it to anyone, but because Kara was her sister; they’d shared everything with each other, and keeping something like this—something that made her nervous and giddy and excited and nauseous all at once—from her just seemed wrong. Vicky had said Supergirl seemed to like the gays, so why shouldn’t Kara? Unless that was all just an act. Or maybe it was fine when it was other people, but not fine when it was her own sister. Or maybe she was okay with gay men, but not with lesbians. Or maybe she’d act like it was fine, but things would never be the same again. Or maybe she’d just be totally upfront about her rejection of Alex. Alex was almost positive she was going to be sick. She was drenched in sweat even though the room felt freezing cold. And everything seemed so tight; she probably just needed air. Like, the air back at her apartment. Where she was alone.

“Alex? Hey, are you okay? You don’t look good.”

Shaking herself a little, Alex tried to smile, though she suspected it looked more like a grimace. “Yeah, sorry. Sorry. It’s just. Well, okay, yeah. So Thursday. You did your Supergirl thing.”

“Mhm,” Kara nodded, unsure of where this was going.

“And, well, remember how you told me where I was.”

“Sort of.”

“Try harder to remember.” Alex really didn’t want to have to spell out everything.

“Uhm, it was Nellie’s. The gay bar.”

“Right! Yes. And you told me that because I suggested that maybe you and those boys wouldn’t be right for one another.”

“Yeah.”

“So, remember how I told you I ended up there?”

“I think so. Something about trivia with Vicky, who I still need to see by the way!”

“Mhm. Well, Vicky lives in that neighborhood.”

“You did say that.”

“And so does my friend Maggie.”

“Okay.” Kara still didn’t quite get where this was going, but before she forgot she had wanted to tell Alex: “Maggie seemed fun. When I saw you guys in the hallway. You smile a lot when you’re with her. It’s nice to see you spending time with friends. Even Winn noticed that you threaten to kill him far less often now.”

“Let Winn know I’ll be sure to get back up to my standard soon. But it’s true, spending time with Maggie does make me happy. Including when I’m spending time up in her neighborhood. Which is also Vicky’s neighborhood. And, well, maybe that should be my neighborhood too.”

“So you want to move in with them?”

Alex wanted to cry. Why did Kara have to be so damn matter-of-fact? “Not quite…I’m saying that maybe, even if I’m living alone, I’d be living with people who are…more like me. If I moved there. Near Nellie’s.” Seeing that Kara still seemed confused, Alex decided, fighting her racing heart, to be more direct. “So I had never been up to that part of town until Maggie took me to see her apartment. And when I asked her about it, she told me that she wanted to feel comfortable and safe.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Exactly. And Vicky, well, she said it was like being among friends. Because even if they don’t know each other, they’ve all got certain things in common. That they don’t have in common with other people. But at a place like Nellie’s, they do.”

Kara pushed her glasses up and fidgeted in her seat, thinking that she might finally know what Alex had been alluding to. “So, Maggie and Vicky are gay?”

“They are.”

“And you?”

“I think—no, I am, I am too.”

Kara let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “How long have you known?”

“To be honest, probably for a long time. Like, maybe I knew back in high school. But I didn’t really want it to be true just yet. Or ever. But the world, it’s changed, Kara. Not everywhere. And not everyone. But I think I have. I think I’m ready to demand that I get to be happy too. And not just happy at work or in school or something, but happy with me. With who I am.”

Kara didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what words could do, could express. As she sat there, trying to figure out a way to tell her sister how happy she was for her, she noticed Alex bracing herself, clenching her jaw as she straightened up to get off the couch. “Wait!” The last thing Kara wanted was for Alex to box herself back in. 

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, Alex, please. Please look at me.”

Not willing to turn all the way back just to be turned away, Alex pivoted slightly, craning her neck to look in Kara’s direction.

“Alex, it’s not what you think. I just, I wish that I had been able to show you earlier that this—you being happy—was all I’ve ever wanted for you. I wish that you hadn’t needed to be so scared to tell me, for you to assume that I would be so awful in response. Alex, you gave up so much when I came into your life. But I always hoped that you would find someone who would make you feel that sort of love yourself. Because even though I’m bulletproof, you’re always going to be the one jumping in front of me. But you deserve someone who wants to do that for you too.”

Alex finally turned all the way back into Kara, her eyes glassy with the tears she was desperately trying not to shed. Kara looked up and, seeing the softness that had replaced Alex’s wariness, rushed over to Alex, pulling her into her arms where Alex melted into the embrace, finally letting the tears fall. They stood like that for a few minutes until Alex finally pulled away, smiling as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. “Thanks.”

“So,” Kara began, a wide smile spreading, “It was Maggie, right?”

“What?” 

“Maggie’s the reason you’re finally telling me you’re gay.”

“‘Finally?’ What do you mean by that?”

“I’m just saying, I mean, I did wonder.”

“Wonder about what?” While not angry, Alex was still defensive.

“I mean, you wore a lot of flannel.”

“It got cold in the winter. And fall.”

“And you loved Xena.”

“She’s a feminist icon!”

“And you never cared about any of your breakups with boys in high school.”

“Because they never lasted for more than a few weeks.”

“Duh, because Vicky was always your number one priority.”

“Hmph. When did you get to be so perceptive?”

“I mean, you were also watching lesbian porn last night.”

Blushing furiously, Alex yelled, “I was not! It was TV!”

“Call it what you want, but just don’t tell me anymore about it! You’re still my sister.”

Alex still wanted to argue the point, but she conceded, “Fine.” Unable to help herself, she added, “It’s called The L Word, and it’s overly dramatic and absurd and you need to watch it because it’s so fucking good.”

Kara laughed, but she also wanted to change the topic. She had more important things to ask Alex about. “So Maggie?”

“What about her?”

“You like her.”

“Do not.”

“Oh my god, we’re not kids anymore! You so do!”

“Maybe.”

“I knew it!”

“Shut up,” Alex whined, tossing a pillow at Kara’s face.

“Well, do you want to tell me about her?”

“No. She’s great and funny and kind and pretty and those dimples, oh my god! But she has a girlfriend. Or something. And she doesn’t like me back.”

“The way she looks at you? I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Alex refused to get her hopes up. “No, I’m sure she wouldn’t want to tend to a baby gay anyway.”

“You and Vicky were basically in a lesbian relationship for four years. I don’t know that you’re that much of a baby gay. Just go, I don’t know, kiss a girl to get that part of it out of the way. Then, boom, good as…old? I don’t know. At least you won’t be so ‘new to the scene.’”

Alex couldn’t help the blush that crept across her cheeks.

“Oh my god! You already did kiss someone! Who?”

“Erm, Vicky.”

“When?!?”

Alex decided to give in to this moment of sisterly bonding, secretly relishing the chance to dish about her crushes—an experience she’d missed out on in middle school and high school. “Well…which time?”

“Oh my gosh, Alex!! Are you two dating?”

“No! No, we’re just good friends.”

“Friends who kiss and go to dinner and trivia and bars?”

“We had some things to get past.”

“You’ve lost me again.”

Alex took a deep breath, trying to find a polite way to summarize the situation. “Well, back in high school, you know how you said Vicky and I were basically dating?”

“Because you were.”

“Right. Well, prom night, remember how she stayed over? And I mean, that wasn’t weird. We were always sleeping over at each other’s houses.”

“Sure.”

“Well…on prom night, we acted a little more like a couple.”

“So you guys kissed after prom? That’s so romantic!”

“Well, sure. That’s how you commemorated prom, absolutely.”

“Ew, okay, nope, too much information. Still your sister! Repressing that knowledge!”

“God, I didn’t even say anything. Point being, I wasn’t kind to her afterwards. I, well, I wasn’t ready to admit that I might be…different. And so I stopped seeing her. Stopped associating with her. Just sort of let her drift away.”

“Poor Vicky.”

“I know. And so now, something like twelve years later, I run into her. But now I’ve been hanging out with Maggie, which brought back all of these fears and memories. But somehow, she made them a little less scary. And Vicky could see the change. Or she thought she could. But then, well, then you showed up. As Supergirl. And she thought I was running from her and from my…identity all over again. And so we fought. But then we…talked. Or, we yelled. But it was good yelling. Productive yelling.”

“So then you kissed again?”

“Or something.”

“Floozy!”

“Oh god, did you and Clark literally just rip yourselves out of a 1940s home journal?”

“LA LA LA LA LA! Still my sister. Still not listening.”

“Fine, fine. But Kara? Can I tell you something?” A wicked grin spread across Alex’s face. If Kara was going to tease her about her flannel and how long she knew, she could at least make Kara’s ears burn. 

“Fine.” Kara eyed Alex suspiciously.

“Can I tell you what my favorite part about coming out has been?”

“Sure.” Kara relaxed a bit.

“Well, first of all, it’s so much less stressful to just admit it. To stop having to carry around that fucking weight. To realize that all of that shame and hatred and guilt was my own creation, that it was no more natural than my fear of beetles.” Kara beamed at her; the sincerity of this moment would only make the next one so much more enjoyable for Alex. “But second, lesbian sex is so much better.”

“Alex! You promised,” Kara whined. 

“What are big sisters for if not making their little sister’s life hell?”

Despite Kara’s pink tinge and angry pouting, Alex knew that they were only the result of Kara’s aversion to talking about anything sexual, not about her sexuality in particular. Alex felt a burden lift off her chest. Even though she knew she still had plenty of people to tell and deal with, for now, this was enough. And Kara’s love and acceptance was all she needed. Knowing that she wasn’t disappointed in her was enough. And Kara being proud of her? Well that was just a bonus.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angsty ending ahead

Some hours later, Alex finally made her way back home, desperate to clean up slightly before Maggie showed up for dinner and The L Word. She was slightly embarrassed about how many episodes she had watched on her own, but not embarrassed enough to sit through them a second time while still desperate to find out what happened next. She ran around her apartment, putting pillows back where they belonged and cleaning the last of her dishes. She wondered if she should dirty her kitchen a little—make it look like it had seen any use since Maggie had last cooked for her. She decided against it; there was no shame in wanting more than one proper cooking lesson before trying it for herself.

While trying on a third outfit, desperate to find one that said, “I’m very attractive and also available, but totally not going for it because you’re a colleague with a girlfriend and also just a friend,” Alex heard a knock. She didn’t mind the dark-wash jeans she had on, but she was still without a top. Searching for anything to wear as she heard a second round of knocking, Alex grabbed what she thought was the white button-up she had worn the day before. As she ran to her door, pulling it on, she immediately realized it was much too light and soft—her favorite, worn-in Hanes v-neck, pilfered from one of the few guys she had seen for more than a date or a one night stand back in grad school.

“Hey,” Alex said slightly breathlessly as she pulled open the door.”

“Hey yourself.” Maggie kicked her shoes off in the doorway as she carried a grocery bag to Alex’s kitchen. She looked back at Alex. The woman looked good. Super fucking gay. She was rocking the K-Stew/Shane look without even trying. Well, to complete the look Alex should really be braless, but that would be an inappropriate request. Right? You didn't ask a friend to remove some of her clothing so that you could fulfill the fantasy you’ve had about fucking Shane ever since The L Word premiered. No. Also, more importantly, you didn’t ask a friend to fuck.

“You okay?” Alex asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Just a little spacey. Well, no, not great. It’s fine. You?”

“We’ll come back to me, but what’s wrong? Come on. You’d tell me this is what friends are for.”

“Nah, I just got dumped, that’s all.”

“Why would anyone dump you?” Alex was truly shocked.

“Uhmm, according to the last one it would be that I am hard-headed, stubborn, too involved with work, emotionally unavailable, and, for the newest addition, probably a sociopath.”

“Well that’s just ridiculous. You spend less time at work than I do. And you actually made me open up about my own feelings and shit.”

“I think you’re just proving that maybe you’re even worse at those things than I am, Danvers. It doesn’t make them not true about me.”

“No, it just makes you passionate about your career and strong. You said it yourself, you grew up different in a place where blending in was the only real way to get by. You’ve been a cop, so I know you’ve seen what happens to people for all sorts of reasons, including any form of difference. And yet, here you are. Standing. And damn proud of who you are. No shame. So, no, maybe you don’t wear your heart on your sleeve, but why would you? You show it to the people who matter.”

“Well, I guess I didn’t treat her like she mattered then.” Maggie didn’t add the other reason she’d been given during the breakup speech: the fact that she was so clearly into someone else. Perhaps the someone else who actually did get to see her heart, her vulnerabilities, her fears. Perhaps the someone who was standing in front of her telling her how wonderful she was. Perhaps the someone whose face and laugh and smile kept swimming back into her thoughts whenever she closed her eyes. But that someone was just a friend. A colleague. And one who was maybe seeing someone too.

“It’s her loss.”

“I guess. I don’t know. She’s probably better off this way. Most people would be.”

Alex shook her head. She couldn’t believe how little Maggie suddenly seemed to think of herself. “Don’t sell yourself short, Mags. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

Maggie felt her heart swell at the nickname. She wanted to ask whether Alex thought that she might be lucky to have Maggie, but of course she didn’t. She couldn’t. So instead she asked, “What about you? You look happy? You finally going to tell me that you and Vicky are dating?”

“I wasn’t lying when I said we’re not a couple, Sawyer. She’s just a friend. A friend that I have a…complicated history with. And we were just, you know, working some of that history out. Together.”

“So you fucked?”

“Must you be so blunt?”

“Would I be me if I weren’t?”

“Whatever. Yes, we did. But it’s just a friendly thing. It was…cathartic.”

“And? You had sex with a woman and…you still gay?”

“Oh my god. I’m so gay.”

Maggie grinned. She really was happy for Alex. Everyone deserved that kind of happiness and moment of clarity. But she also fought off the wave of nausea that threatened her. Alex had found that moment of happiness with someone else; she didn’t need Maggie or probably even want her. “That’s great, Danvers. Welcome to the club. Officially. Unofficially we’ve had you since what? 2004?”

“Shuttup,” Alex laughed. “But I really did make it official. Well, in another sense.”

“Oh really? You get a cat you’re hiding around here?”

“Nooo! I told Kara.”

Maggie swung around to face Alex. “That’s amazing! Congrats! Really, I’m proud of you. How was it?”

“It was good. It started out a little awkward, but we got there.”

“Awkward on her part, like she wasn’t okay with it, or awkward on your part, because, well, you’re you?”

“Everyone needs to stop saying that!” Alex whined. Thinking back to why it was awkward, though, Alex decided to just let Maggie think what she wanted to. “I guess the latter. Kara was great. She said she already knew.”

“Oh, so she heard you and Vicky after prom?”

“What? No!” Alex prayed that hadn’t been the case, but then again, Kara did have super-hearing. “No, it was just something about flannel and how much time I spent with Vicky and how little I cared about the guys I dated and some other recent stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Uhm, nothing in particular stands out.”

Maggie didn’t buy that excuse for a second, but she figured she’d let it go. “Well, in any case, that’s wonderful. Do you want to celebrate somehow? We don’t have to stay in and cook.”

“No!” Alex didn’t want to sound desperate, but she wanted more than anything to stay in with Maggie, to enjoy the intimacy of their quiet nights in together. Trying to appear calm, she tried again, “No, I should learn to cook a few things. Plus, I don’t hate The L Word.”

“Yeah?” Maggie grinned, her dimples out, though not on full display yet. “Did you watch any more without me? I told you the seasons are up on Netflix, right?”

“Yeah…” Alex debated how much she should tell Maggie. “Uhm, I started season 2.”

“Damn, you really are a lesbian.” Alex let out a loud, barking laugh. Maggie found herself more than a little pleased at how much more comfortable Alex seemed. “So, remind me what’s going on in the show.”

“Well,” Alex tried to remember the plot. She had replayed certain scenes so many times that she was a little out of order now. “Oh! Tina is pregnant. But Bette doesn’t know. But she broke up with Candace anyway. Uhm, Tim finally left. Like, sorry bro, but no one wanted you here anymore. Dana and Alice kissed, but Dana is still with that awful woman. And Shane had sex with that hot girl from Person of Interest.”

“Oh, dear, to hear your chronology all mixed up... To us, she will always be Carmen first and forever. Which sex scene did you see?”

“What?” Alex yelled. “Sorry,” she lowered her voice. “What do you mean?” She felt as jumpy as she had when her mom asked her with a wink how her prom night had gone.

Maggie was confused, but didn’t push the issue. “Shane and Carmen? What happened between them?”

“Oh wait? Does Carmen come back? They were just in a DJ booth. I don’t understand how Shane still has a job. She is literally never working.”

“Of all the things, that is what you find most unrealistic about this show?”

“It’s just, I mean, come on!”

“I know, I know. But I think you’ll enjoy what comes next.” Maggie bit her tongue. She probably shouldn’t speculate about what kinds of sex scenes Alex might like to see. But she knew what she saw that first night they watched the show together, how Alex had watched the screen with rapt attention, biting her lip and swallowing thickly. “So, uhm, do you want to start dinner or the show first?”

“That depends. What’d you bring for dinner?”

“I got everything we need to make risotto. Then some cauliflower for the side because vegetables are important. I assume you don’t have a pressure cooker?”

“No…I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, probably not. Well, that’s fine. It’s just going to take some arm muscle, but between two of us, it won’t be too bad. It takes a while, though, so maybe we should start now?”

Alex nodded, and they set about getting their ingredients out. Pretty soon, they had settled into an easy routine. Once Maggie had gone over the basics, she divided the tasks, calling out instructions to Alex who, Maggie was pleased to see, was a bit more at ease in the kitchen this time around.

“Scallions have been diced,” Alex called out proudly. “What’s next?”

“Start grating that parmesan. How much do you like cheese?”

Alex just looked at Maggie. “Is that really a question?

Maggie laughed. “It’s only polite to ask before making assumptions. Well, get to grating then.”

About 15 minutes later, with all of their ingredients prepped and ready to go, Maggie turned on the heat under the large pan. Once it was hot, she added the oil, shallots, and garlic. Letting Alex lean in to smell the simmering base.

“Oh my god, that smells so good. Like, we’re actually cooking something good.”

“That’s the idea.” Maggie would never understand how Alex survived for so long on mediocre takeout and granola bars. But then again, she also didn’t understand how Alex went for so long knowing how great sex with a woman could feel and enduring mediocre hook ups with random men at bars.

“Ok, so now we’re going to add in the rice, stir it to get it all coated, then slowly add in the broth I made and some wine. We’ll do a little bit, then stir, and keep going. It’s what makes it so creamy. Got it?”

“Wait, what about my cheese?”

Alex looked so concerned about the cheese, Maggie couldn’t help but hug her. Even though Alex didn’t know why she was getting the hug, she certainly wasn’t going to complain. “Oh, Danvers, you’re adorable. We add it at the end. Don’t you worry.” Alex’s heart sped up when Maggie called her adorable, but she didn’t have time to think about it as Maggie handed her a wooden spoon and told her to start stirring. After the first two additions, they got into a rhythm, and Maggie went over to turn on the show.

“Look! It’s Jane Lynch!”

“Yeah, way back when she was just a lesbian comic that not too many people knew.”

“Wait, she’s a lesbian?

“You been living a rock, Danvers? Yes, she’s a lesbian. I’ll send you the list one day, okay? I bet you’ll have that reaction to more than a few people.”

They continued to watch and take turns stirring. It felt nice, comfortable, easy. Maggie didn’t mind the interruptions when Alex wanted to pause the show to ask a question. And Alex didn’t mind when Maggie teased her about missing a point of lesbian culture. “Pause the show,” Maggie instructed, “Time for a taste test.”

“But the cheese?”

“Calm down, Danvers! It’s still going to taste good. But right now I want you to tell me if it’s creamy enough. It shouldn’t have any bite to it—nothing crunchy. It should feel like it melts in your mouth if it’s perfect.” The description sounded oddly sexual, but Maggie figured she was just overreacting; it was hard to think in non-sexual terms when Alex was touching her arm and moving her mouth closer to—to the spoon, of course.

Alex took a bite. Her eyes rolled back. “Oh my god. This is so good. I thought the enchiladas were good. Then I thought the lasagna was good. And they were. But oh my god. It really does melt in your mouth. And when we add cheese…I can’t wait.”

“Alright then, I’ll let you do the honors.” Before Maggie could stop her, Alex had dumped the whole bowl of grated cheese in. “Well…normally we would add a little, then stir, and repeat. But you’ve got your methods, I suppose.”

“Well, if I’m jumping all in to lesbianism, why not do the same thing with the cheese? Plus, were we really going to pretend that it wasn’t all going to end up in there eventually?”

Maggie thought of a few jokes she could make, but decided to abstain, just laughing quietly to herself as she helped Alex try to distribute the quickly melting cheese as best she could. “Go get some bowls and two spoons, please.”

“On it!” Alex reappeared at her side seconds later, eager to try their newest creation. Maggie gave them both generous helpings. There was nothing like something fattening and cheesy to help get over a breakup.

“Oh shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked.

“We forgot the vegetables.”

“Eh, we’ll live.”

“But for how long?”

“At least we’ll be happy this way.”

“Happy and dead at 40 of a heart attack.”

“Hush. I want to enjoy my cheesy artery-clogging bowl of heaven in peace.” Maggie shook her head; she knew it was a lost cause. “Want to eat over on the couch?”

“Sure.” Maggie was secretly glad to be settling into the show. It wasn’t that she didn’t like talking to Alex, but she worried that the conversation might roll back around to her breakup, and she really didn’t feel like talking about it right now. Sure, she hadn’t been in love or anything. But it always hurt to hear a list of everything another person thought was wrong with you.

Once they had settled into the couch and made the obligatory moans at how amazing the risotto was—Maggie conceded that the extra cheese was a nice touch—Alex hit play and let the show resume.

Just a few minutes later, Maggie gulped as she realized what scene was beginning. Shane and Carmen. And a game of too hot. And Carmen’s outfit. Maggie knew that if she hadn’t known she was gay from a very young age, this scene would have done it. Hell, she could’ve been straight and this scene would have turned her gay. Maggie had nearly worn out the VHS tape she had used to record this episode by rewatching this scene so many times. Times late at night, when she was alone in her dorm room. As Carmen rocked her hips and teased Shane, Maggie swallowed hard, willing her body not to react in the way it normally did to a scene she had replayed in her mind and on her television more times than she cared to admit. She knew better than to look at Alex, but of course she did. And suddenly she was even more turned on than she normally was watching this scene. There was Alex, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, attention transfixed.

“I, um I’m going to get some wine. Want some?” Maggie asked, voice catching in her throat.

“Oh, yeah, yeah that’s good.” Alex’s voice was husky, and Maggie felt an insistent pulse between her legs. “I, er, I’m just going to run to the bathroom. Right. Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

Maggie wondered if Alex was as desperate as she was, but she chastised herself. Alex didn’t think of her like that. Alex was a friend, nothing more. She might be turned on by the scene—who wouldn’t be—but it had nothing to do with the woman sitting next to her.

In the bathroom Alex rested her head against the cool tile of the shower wall, willing her breath and heart rate to slow to normal. She could feel how wet she had gotten and decided to clean up a little. As desperate as she was, she knew she couldn’t risk relieving the tension until Maggie left. God forbid the woman hear her and think she was some pervert who needed to jack off in the bathroom while she had guests over.

A few minutes later, they had returned to the living room, settling into opposite ends of the couch with generous glasses of wine before resuming the episode. Luckily the rest of the episode was less…intense. Even the strip club scenes were more amusing than anything. Alex asked Maggie if she’d ever been. “To a strip club?” Alex nodded. “Nah. Never really wanted to. Or needed to.” Suddenly curious, Maggie asked, “You?”

“Eh. Vegas night in grad school. Went to a Chippendales show. Obviously it wasn't really my cup of tea.” Maggie just laughed.

Now that the scene had ended, the two relaxed, returning to their routine. As they started a new episode, Alex ran back to her kitchen and pulled out a small cardboard box. “Whatcha got there, Danvers?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Well, yeah, I would actually.”

“Since you’ve been so great about providing dinner, I figured I could at least do dessert. And since I didn’t want to risk giving you food poisoning, I paid someone else to do my cooking.” She pulled down two plates and brought the box over, revealing cannoli from the Italian bakery downtown.

“These are my favorite!”

“I know, I remembered you saying something about that.”

Maggie gave her a soft smile. Alex really was full of surprises, and Maggie wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of such a thoughtful surprise—even if it was just dessert. “Thanks, Alex. You really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” Alex felt like so much more than just dessert was being crammed into that sentence, but she just pulled a cannoli out and onto her plate. They were just as good as Maggie had promised they would be, and Alex was all smiles as they went back to the show.

Once they had finished eating, Maggie took their things over to the sink and started the dishes, shooting down Alex’s objections and telling her to just relax and enjoy the show. As she cleaned up, she added her commentary to the show.

“Did you know she’s a lesbian too?”

“Who?”

“The woman who plays Peggy Peabody.”

“No!”

“Yep. And dating Sarah Paulson. You should see their Twitter flirting; it’s adorable.”

“Wow…that’s an age difference.”

“Eh, they’re both adults. Didn’t you ever crush on someone older than you?”

“I don’t know.”

“You never had a professor crush? A nerd like you? I don’t believe it. I crushed so hard on this cop who came and talked at my high school during career day my freshman year. I’m not going to say she’s the whole reason I became a cop, but she definitely sparked a…passion.” Maggie smirked, recalling the sexy brunette who had held herself with such confidence, such swagger, projecting an air that said, “Touch me, I dare you.” Maggie had wanted to be just like her. And maybe her desire had been for more than just being like her…

“I guess…I mean, don’t we all? But I would never have acted on it.”

“It happens. Plus, it could be hot. Maybe not while you were a student, that would’ve been dumb. But later? I say go for it.” In reality, Maggie really didn’t want Alex to go for it with anyone else. It was hard enough thinking about her and Vicky, but she wanted to be encouraging. It was good for Alex to get out there and make up for lost time.

“I guess…” They lapsed into silence again, both of them thinking about the older women in their lives. Alex wondered why she had been so unwilling to acknowledge her infatuations with certain women for what they were.

When Maggie returned to the couch from doing the dishes, Alex cuddled into her. “You’re the best, you know that? You bring food that’s amazing, then you clean up for me. I couldn’t ask for more.” Maggie smiled, and Alex, not even thinking about it, lay down, placing her head in Maggie’s lap. It was an oddly intimate gesture that normally would have made Alex pause, but the wine plus the increasingly late hour made her want to be cozy. And this just felt so comfortable. Maggie stiffened at first, but quickly relaxed when she saw how well Alex seemed to fit. As the episode played, Maggie stopped worrying. Unthinkingly, she began to run her hands through Alex’s hair, softly scratching Alex’s head. Alex didn’t think she had ever been as happy as she was in that moment. Unwilling to disturb it and risk having Maggie stop, Alex stayed as still and quiet as she could, stopping her commentary on the episode.

That went well until Bette got to the bar in New York and started making eyes at the woman across the room. Alex couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Does that really work? Just making eye contact and taking your jacket off, then boom: A woman just falls into your arms?”

“If you’ve got arms like that…” Maggie looked down. Alex did have arms like that. She wondered what it would be like to fall into Alex’s arms.

“Lucky,” Alex muttered.

Even though the scene cut away from Bette and the woman, Maggie remembered that it came back just in time to find them in Bette’s hotel room. She wondered if it would be awkward, if she should try to move out from under Alex now before their movements became charged with a new kind of electricity. Instead, she let it happen.

Between Maggie’s hands in her hair, Bette’s sexy confidence, and the noises the very topless woman was making, Alex couldn’t help herself. She moaned. Her eyes flew open when she did it, and she clamped her mouth shut, but she was sure Maggie must have heard. How could she not have. Maybe she could just pretend it was the show. Like, an immersive sound experience. She was as still as she could be, willing Maggie to keep touching her, to let her stay in her lap, to not tell her that she needed to go.

Maggie swallowed a groan. This beautiful woman with her head in her lap had just made one of the sexiest noises Maggie had ever heard. She could see the blush that ran across Alex’s pronounced cheekbones, but neither one of them acknowledged the noise. Well, other parts of Maggie’s body acknowledged it, but she didn’t want to say it aloud lest she break some sort of spell. She didn’t want Alex to move, at least not yet. For now, this would be enough. This had to be enough.

Eventually the episode ended. Neither one of them moved to stop the next one from starting. It had gotten to a point of being late—after 11—but the idea of ending the night was so unappealing. Secretly, Alex hoped that Maggie might fall asleep, that she wouldn’t have to wake up alone in her apartment again. They wouldn’t have to do anything. Alex was fairly certain they never would do anything. But still. At least this way the possibility lingered in the air like a static charge that gave Alex hope and a bit of courage. The courage to shift her head slightly and look up into Maggie’s eyes. They smiled at one another, still making no attempts to shift their position.

During the sign on, though, Alex asked Maggie if she was comfortable. “I was thinking of putting on some pajama pants. If you want to borrow something?”

Maggie thought it might seem a bit forward to change, but she figured if it was being offered, there was no harm in making herself a bit more comfortable. “Sure. Yeah, thanks.”

Alex went into her bedroom and tossed out a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Surely she had no ulterior motive in giving that specific shirt to Maggie. Definitely didn’t want to see what Maggie’s arms and shoulder and back looked like. She shook her head as she pulled her door shut slightly to change. She quickly threw on a pair of flannel pajama pants, hoping that Maggie would think they were cute, rather than dorky. In a moment of impulsivity that she prayed she wouldn’t regret, she quickly removed the bra she had been wearing under her shirt. She didn’t sleep in one, so it was really just being accurate about the meaning of pajamas.

Heading back out to the living room, Alex froze. There was Maggie, standing in just a bra, her back facing Alex. Alex knew she should say something, should alert Maggie to her presence. But she just couldn’t. She couldn’t let go of the opportunity to see those curves, the visible muscles in Maggie’s back. A second later, Maggie had pulled the tanktop down, and Alex darted behind her door just in time, acting like she was just now emerging from the room. Only now, she had to see the view from the front. Had to see Maggie’s chest hugged by the tight fabric, her arm muscles out on full display. Alex tried hard not to stare as she cleared her throat. But she wasn’t the only one looking. Maggie noticed the pants, sure, but what she really paid attention to was the shirt and what was no longer on underneath it. Ignoring the fact that Alex was making part of her fantasy come true, Maggie cleared her throat, smiled at Alex, and retreated back to her end of the couch.

Refusing to lose the gains she had made, Alex snuggled right back down into Maggie’s lap, dragging a blanket to cover her legs. Both of them ignored how right it felt to be this close to one another. They ignored the pulsing heat that threatened to overtake them at a moment’s notice. And they were doing well, really well. Until Dana and Alice were left alone. Until there was a beat between the two women on screen and suddenly they were all over each other, lips greedily searching out one another, hands roaming freely, gasps and moans filling the air. Alex held her breath and crossed her legs. Maggie, in an attempt to distract herself from the screen, noticed Alex’s nipples hardening into taut peaks beneath her thin white shirt. Trying not to moan, Maggie bit the inside of her cheek until she drew blood, tasting the sharp metallic taste that reminded her of fist fights and intolerance back in Nebraska. Alex’s chest was heaving as she fought to steady her breath once more, failing miserably. She fought the throbbing ache between her legs demanding some sort of release. She wondered whether Maggie felt any of this too.

Testing a hypothesis—she was a scientist after all—Alex ran one of her hands through her own hair, “accidentally” brushing her finger tips across the top of Maggie’s thighs. Just that small touch made Maggie gasp aloud, unable to bite down quickly enough to stifle the initial noise. But that noise was enough. It was enough to know that Maggie was also desperate enough to feel the slightest touch nearly push her over the edge. Alex pulled herself up from Maggie’s lap. Maggie panicked, sure that she had ruined everything by letting that noise be heard. But when she looked at Alex, she didn’t see that kind of panic. She saw need and desire. She saw darkened eyes and parted lips, a tongue running across a bottom lip, and nipples hard with arousal. Finally feeling the heat of charged eye contact, Alex saw Maggie bite her lip, saw Maggie press a hand down slightly too close to her center, close enough to be an attempt at relieving some of the palpable tension in the room.

Finally, Alex decided to just be brave. Putting a hand on the back of Maggie’s neck, she pulled the shorter woman into her as she hungrily leaned forward, letting their lips meet in the middle. For a few glorious moments, Alex felt Maggie’s lips molding to hers, felt Maggie’s body loosening under her touch, threatening to come undone with just that small amount of touching. But just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Maggie needed Alex, needed the redhead to keep touching her, to keep her lips there forever, to reach down and feel how wet she had made her. But she knew this wasn’t right, knew that she was just getting out of a breakup while Alex was just getting out of the closet. She didn’t want to ruin the only shot they might have because neither of them were in the right place to begin. So as much as it pained her to do it, Maggie pulled back. “Alex, I don’t want us to happen like this.”

But all Alex heard was, “I don’t want us to happen.” “Like this” didn’t matter. “Like this” was just Maggie’s way of trying to ease the blow. “Like this” wouldn’t make her feel any better when she woke up humiliated the next day.

“You know what? I’m actually pretty tired,” Alex said, her voice breaking as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

“Alex, no, it’s not like that.”

“It’s fine. But maybe you should just go.” And with that, Alex was up and off the couch, quickly putting things away, keeping her back to Maggie lest she catch sight of the pitiful look Maggie must be giving her.

Seeing Alex’s determination not to continue the conversation, Maggie quietly gathered her things and headed to the door. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, letting the door fall shut behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angsty slow-burn, but I promise next chapter will be all smut, no angst.

The next morning, Alex didn’t particularly want to get out of bed. So she didn’t. Pulling the blankets up and over her head to block out all sunlight threatening to wake her, Alex curled up and fell into a restless sleep, haunted by images of Maggie telling her, "I don’t want us to happen.”

Eventually, when her humiliation got to be too much, Alex pulled herself out of bed. Seeing that it was now afternoon, Alex poured herself a socially acceptable glass of whiskey. She figured she should find food to accompany the drink. Opening the fridge, she saw the risotto and unused cauliflower. Nope, nothing in the fridge she wanted to see. She pulled open the freezer, grateful that she had started purchasing groceries like a normal person. She threw two waffles into the toaster and added another finger of whiskey to her glass as a reward for the productivity.

Once she had eaten, Alex tried to remember what she was supposed to do that day. She thought she might have some grading to do, but couldn’t quite recall where any of those quizzes had gone. So instead, she wrapped herself in a blanket and curled up alone on the couch with her glass. She wished she had never met Maggie. Her life was so much easier without the woman. She didn’t have to feel things like this. She didn’t have to go through the anxiety of trying to tell everyone she was different. And she certainly never had to be humiliated so thoroughly by someone she needed to see on a regular basis. But, Alex thought, now she could get back to the way things were. With all the extra time she could go back to her research and double down on her writing, and it would all work out.

But now was not the time to start upping the productivity. For today, she would wallow. Come tomorrow, she would get back to work.

Alex turned on her TV. The L Word flashed back at her, paused in the middle of an episode. Fuck it, she thought, hitting play. As the last seconds of Alice and Dana’s encounter played, Alex finished the last sips of her whiskey and padded over to the kitchen to get a bit more. On second thought, she grabbed the bottle. She had a right to indulge today.

Through the episodes, Alex cried and yelled at her screen. She liked the scenes with Bette most of all—not only because Bette was dealing with heartbreak and rejection and problems in just about every area of her life, but also because she was angry and she cursed and didn’t give a fuck what everyone else thought about it. Plus, she was hot.

Alex laughed bitterly when Tonya revealed that she too has been cheating on Dana and was leaving her for someone more famous. Not even the gays could figure out how to treat each other well, she thought. I was better to be aware, not to let yourself get swept into the sort of romantic idealism that Kara loved so much. The idea of having to tell Kara what had happened with Maggie hit Alex like a brick wall. She drank a little more. Jenny’s novel didn't make any sense. She wondered if it was the writing or her drinking. She figured it probably didn’t matter. She threw her pillow at the screen the next time Mark showed his face.

When Alice and Dana went sex toy shopping, Alex remembered her night texting Vicky. She grabbed her phone, ignoring the dozens of missed calls and texts—mainly from Maggie, a few from Kara, and one voicemail from her mother. Definitely not the right time for her. She scrolled up through her texts with Vicky. Her heart raced when she found the photo she received. Vicky was so easy. She didn’t want all the drama of pretending like they could be in a relationship and it would work. She was hot. She looked at her phone again. Really hot. She made Alex feel good. Alex let her mind drift back to the night they had spent together.

Right as she texted Vicky, she remembered something about Vicky seeing another woman the night before. She hoped they weren’t still together. Trying not to appear pathetic, Alex sent a second text, “Hope date stll goin well/!” That was smooth, she thought, well done. Her stomach churned. She didn’t think it was jealousy. Maybe she needed to eat something. Pushing past the offending risotto, Alex found the empty jar of peanut butter. God dammit, she still hadn’t gotten a new one. Not that Maggie was right about the efficacy of her reminders…no, Maggie wasn’t right about anything. But then she saw another jar with a small note taped to it: “In case your system doesn’t work,” with a big smiley face drawn at the bottom. Alex crumpled up the note, but grabbed the jar and a spoon. No need to let peanut butter go to waste just because she didn’t much care for the woman who paid for it.

Settling back into the couch, Alex noticed a new text from Vicky: “I don’t know about you, but my dates don’t normally last more than 24 hours.” Then, “Are you drunk on a school night?” Night? Alex peered through her blinds. It was rather dark. Checking her phone, she realized it was already 10 at night. She wondered where the day went, though she found she didn’t really mind.

Looking back at the television, she saw that everyone had moved to a boat. She wasn’t sure when that had happened. Hadn’t there already been a boat episode? Oh well. She licked her spoon of peanut butter as she watched, willing her stomach to settle. But then she saw Dana wearing her new purchase. She didn’t love the sailor aesthetic, but she had to admit, just like Vicky said, it wasn’t anything like playing at being a man.

Alex flipped open her computer. She wondered how you searched for something like that. Her first few efforts all resulted in porn. Frustrated and too drunk to feel much shame, Alex started texting Vicky, not bothering to respond to her earlier messaged. “Where do you buy fake penises?” She thought a bit of clarification would help. “For sex.”

When her phone buzzed, she was surprised to see an incoming call from Vicky, rather than a text. “H’llo?” Alex slurred.

“Al, how drunk are you?”

“’s manageable. How drunk are you?” Alex giggled.

“Okay, um, have you had any water or food? Do you need me to come over?”

“No, god, I don’t need people to take care of me!”

“I’m not saying you do. But you should get water. And carbs. Please?”

“Fine, fine. I don’t like saying no to you.”

Vicky listened for the sound of the tap, satisfied when she heard Alex drinking (though she prayed it was water). “And food?”

“I have a bagel,” Alex muttered through what did sound like a mouth full of food.

“Thank you. Now, can I tease you?”

“Better if you didn’t. Got enough of that.”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No! No, no.” Alex didn’t want to talk about Maggie. “Just tired, ’s all.”

“Well, did you really want to buy yourself a dildo?”

“That’s a funny word,” Alex hiccupped.

“Maybe you should wait til you’re sober to make any purchases you might regret.”

“What’s some dollars, Vicky? God, don’t try to control me.”

“Fine. At least let me text you a couple links so you don’t buy something gigantic?”

“Think I can’t take it?”

Vicky rolled her eyes. Alex was beyond drunk. “Sure you can, Al, but think of the ladies you might entertain.”

“No one wants me.”

Vicky heard the note of bitterness in Alex’s voice. Now certainly wasn’t the time to talk about it, but she made a note to return to it. She tried to cheer her up: “I certainly did. C’mon, you’re so sexy. You want a toy that’s going to work for all the women who catch sight of you.”

“You wanna come over?” Alex slurred. It was nice to feel wanted. She realized she should tell Vicky how she felt about her too, “You’re pretty. And you smell good. And taste good. Really good.”

Vicky liked Alex and wouldn’t necessarily mind sleeping with her again, but not like this. “Danvers, you’re too drunk to consent. Buy a toy. Drink more water. Eat another bagel. And get yourself to bed.”

“Since when do you call me Danvers?”

“It seemed to fit the situation.”

“Never fits.” Alex shook her head to herself, willing the tears to stay in her eyes. She tried to remember where tears came from. She found she couldn’t and stuffed some bagel into her mouth.

“Do you need me to send someone over? Are you going to be okay?”

Alex blinked back her tears and tried to sound as good as she could in this state. “No, really, I’m okay. Thanks. You owe me websites. You said.”

“Yes, yes. I will. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

A couple minutes later, Alex had impulse bought a few different things. She pushed her computer away lest she spend any more money. Not that she splurged very often. Really, she just spent money on booze and takeout. Maybe a new leather jacket now and then. What were some pink and purple dicks?

Before the episode even finished, Alex was passed out on her couch, snoring lightly.

\---

The next morning, Alex’s mouth felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton balls. She hadn’t felt this badly in years. Since grad school probably. She was happy to see a half-full glass of water still sitting on the coffee table, and drank it quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly, as she felt her stomach roll. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body to calm down. All she needed was more sleep. Seeing the time, she decided she was in no state to go to school. She hadn’t taken a single day off since she started, even coming in with the flu and after days of sparring with Kara where she had taken a few too many hits. She thought she deserved this one. She sent quick emails to her class sections, letting them know she was sick and cancelling class for the day. Lest they think she had started to soften midway through the semester and start slacking off, she assigned them an extra chapter of reading to do in lieu of class.

\---

After her morning classes ended, Maggie ventured down the hall to Alex’s office. The woman hadn’t answered any of her texts and calls; she doubted she’d still be up for their weekly lunch at Noonan’s, but she had to try. Knocking on the door, she called, “Hey, Alex? Are you up for lunch?” No response. She knocked a bit harder. “Danvers, you in there?”

Hank noticed Maggie sitting outside Alex’s door when he left his office to go to the copy room. “Professor Sawyer,” he called down to her.

Maggie quickly stood up. “Yes, Dr. Henshaw?”

“You’re not in trouble. I just thought you should know that Professor Danvers is out sick today. She thinks she should be well enough to come in tomorrow if you had a meeting with her today.”

“No sir, no meeting.” Maggie certainly didn’t want Alex to get in trouble. “Just thought I’d see if she wanted to get lunch.”

“I see.” Maggie couldn’t quite identify the emotion that quickly passed over her boss’ face. “Well, try back tomorrow, I suppose.” And with that, Hank turned and strode back down the hall.

Maggie texted Alex, “I hope you’re feeling better. Do you need anything?”

When Maggie still hadn’t received a response two and a half hours later, she was worried. She wondered if anyone other than Dr. Henshaw had heard from her. Maggie debated what to do. She doubted that Alex would be pleased to see her, even if she came bearing food and medicine. She also doubted that Alex’s illness was one that would be treated with any medicine, but she suspected Alex was self-medicating with something else. She had been so proud to see Alex drinking much less these past few weeks and was worried that all of that progress had been washed away by some misunderstanding. She was only doing what was best for Alex in the long run. No one as amazing as Alex Danvers deserved to be a rebound. She certainly didn’t deserve the shitshow that was Maggie Sawyer in a relationship. No, Maggie told herself, she was right to say no to Alex, no matter how much she wanted the other woman. Soon enough, Alex would see the sides of Maggie that were less than pleasant, would understand why being friends was so much better than being girlfriends.

Acting on a hunch, Maggie taped a sign to her office door saying that the last 15 minutes of office hours had been cancelled—she had already seen plenty of students and doubted that anyone would come racing down the halls at the last minute—and walked across campus to the administrative building. She ran her finger down the large directory, trying to find Dean Grant’s office. Ah, finally! She hopped in the elevator to the fourth floor, assuming that Kara still worked near the Dean. As she wandered the halls, she received curious looks from dozens of men and women dressed in much more formal attire than she had ever seen down in the bio labs. “You are?” a voice rang out.

Maggie swung around to find a petite woman dressed meticulously in a form-fitting black dress with a black and silver blazer that looked like it had come out of last month’s _Vogue_. The woman shook her short blonde curls and pursed her lips. “Can you hear me? I asked you who you are and why you are on my floor.”

Maggie stuttered, unused to being intimidated like this. “Sorry, I was looking for Kara Danvers. I thought she worked up here.”

“I assume you have a small fortune that you would like to donate, or you would not be looking for Kiera during work hours, which do not end for another,” Cat looked down at a very expensive looking watch, “six minutes.”

Kara came running out of a back office, waving to Maggie. “Dean Grant, I am so sorry for the confusion. I had scheduled an appointment with Professor Maggie Sawyer and told her to come early in case she had trouble finding the building.”

Cat trained her eyes back at Maggie. “Where do you work?”

“Uhm,” Maggie hesitated, “Here, actually. You spoke at my orientation, I think. I work for the Biology Department. And I teach at the Law School too.”

“Is she involved in the Luthor proposal, Kiera?”

“Yes, of course, Dean Grant. The whole Biology Department has been a real asset in courting Ms. Luthor.”

Maggie smirked. She thought the pretty blonde women probably did a better job courting Lena than any number of professors’ projects might.

“Very well then, you may go.” Cat shot Maggie a look that Maggie couldn’t quite decipher. “Oh, and Margie? Next time, do be sure to find Kiera directly, rather than wandering aimlessly through my hallways and distracting my employees.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Dean Grant will do.”

Maggie nodded, vowing not to find herself back up on this floor again. Kara motioned for Maggie to follow her back to her office—a large, though windowless room with a few pictures hung on the walls—mainly of Kara with groups of people she assumed were friends and family. Looking closer, she noticed Alex in a few of them with an older woman who bore a faint resemblance to her. She also saw Winn, one of the other new professors, in a couple pictures with Kara. Before she could ask Kara how she knew Winn, Kara asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Does something have to be wrong?”

“I mean, no. But it’s not like we’ve ever hung out before.”

“Right. It’s, um, it’s Alex. She hasn’t been answering any of my texts or calls, and she called out sick from work today.”

Kara’s mind immediately jumped to the worst. Alex never took sick days. And since Maggie was here, Kara doubted that she would fly in on a scene that would make her blush and avert her eyes this time. “When did you last see her?”

“Saturday night.” Maggie hoped Kara wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“Was everything normal then? Did she seem alright?”

Maggie toyed with her watch and shuffled her feet and looked everywhere but at Kara’s eyes. “I mean, she, well, she went to bed, yeah.”

Kara knew she wasn’t getting the full story, but she at least knew that Alex had been seen late on Saturday, which meant she hadn’t been missing for a full 48 hours. Desperate to get out of the office and change into her Supergirl suit, Kara guided Maggie to the door, assuring her, “I’ll go right there now to check on her. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’s okay.”

“Will you let me know? That she’s okay, I mean?” Maggie’s eyes were wide with worry. Even though Kara had started to wonder whether Maggie was part of the problem—if she weren't, why wouldn’t she talk about Saturday? And why wasn’t she the one showing up to Alex’s apartment if she was this worried?

“Sure,” I’ll get your number from Alex and text you when I find her. I’m sure she’s just…under the weather.”

\---

“Alex!” Kara called from the doorway, having figured it was better not to surprise her again. “Alex, it’s me, Kara!” She looked through the door and could see Alex sitting on her couch, clutching a bottle of liquor. Though Kara was elated to find that Alex was not in any sort of mortal danger, her heart sunk at the sight in front of her. “Alex, I can see you in there! Open up.”

“Not now, Kara.” Alex’s voice was gravelly. It sounded like she’d been crying all day.

“Open the door or I’m coming in…another way.”

“Go away, Kara.” The knocking ceased. Alex exhaled, grateful to find herself alone in her misery again. A second later a whoosh from her balcony revealed that Kara had simply come in another way, as she promised she would.

In mere moments, Kara was sitting next to Alex on the couch, stroking her hair and prying the whiskey bottle from her hands—not that there was more than a shot left anyways. “Alex, talk to me. Please,” Kara pleaded.

“She doesn’t like me,” Alex hiccupped.

“What? Who? Maggie?”

“She doesn’t like me, like that.” All of the walls Alex had built up with whiskey and sarcasm and anger came tumbling down as sobs racked through her body. Kara swept her into her arms, holding Alex’s shaking frame against her chest as she smoothed her sister’s hair. She didn’t say anything. She knew Alex would bite back against empty words like, “It’s all going to be okay,” or, “You’ll feel better in the morning.” She just needed someone to be there for her. To let her cry and be vulnerable without ever reminding her of it in the future.

Once Alex’s sobs died down, Kara pulled back slightly. “Do you want food?” Alex nodded. “Takeout?”

“Yes please.”

“Your choice.”

Alex debated for a minute. She thought about pizza, but anything Italian kept bringing her back to the past two times she had cooked with Maggie. “Thai?”

“On it!” Kara placed their order, making it pick up so it would be ready in half the time. “You going to be okay while I fly to get it? I’ll be back in two minutes, tops.”

“Yeah,” Alex sniffled.

“Do you want me to help you get in the shower first. I have a few minutes before I need to leave. I could also stop and get you some groceries. Maybe fly back to Midvale for your favorite ice cream?”

Alex looked almost happy for a minute. “For real?”

“Always.”

Once she got the water set up for Alex and guided her to the bathroom, making sure she seemed steady and sober enough not to slip and fall while she was gone, Kara flew out the window, making a quick detour to Midvale to get the ice cream before picking up their dinner.

In the shower, Alex let the water pour over her, not caring that she had allowed it to get a little too hot. She felt the knots in the back of her hair tangling together even more, but she couldn’t bother to untangle them. After a few minutes, she decided the work of standing was a little too much and sat down, letting the water run over her face, washing away her tears as soon as they fell. Twenty minutes of steam and crying later, Alex had to admit, she felt a little better. She no longer reeked of whiskey, and her slightly puffy eyes were the only proof that she had cried. When she heard Kara fly back through the window, she turned off the water, willing herself to get out of the warm shower. Kara had placed a clean pair of pajamas and fuzzy socks on the sink, along with a glass of water and two Advil, for which Alex was eternally grateful.

While Alex changed, Kara quickly peeked at her sister's phone, resolving not to read any of the 96(!) unread text messages but just to get Maggie’s number. From her own phone, she sent a quick message to Maggie: “Alex is fine.” She knew that she didn’t have the full story yet, though she planned on getting it at some point, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Maggie had hurt her sister. Even though she cared enough about Alex’s well-being to check in with Kara, she had still been the one to reduce Alex to tears—something that Kara had seen maybe twice in her time on Earth, and never like this.

Maggie seemed to sense Kara’s mood and simply sent back, “Thanks.” She suspected that Kara would be a lot less sunny the next time she saw her around campus.

Kara let Alex eat dinner in peace, happy to see her sister putting food in her stomach instead of alcohol. Once she had texted Maggie, Kara had also flown through the house, collecting all of the wine and beer and whiskey she could find and flying it back to her own apartment. She left a single bottle of beer, figuring she wouldn’t deprive Alex of the chance to take the edge off one last time.

When the two sisters had finished eating dinner, Kara pulled the ice cream out of the freezer and grabbed two spoons. “Couch? Ice cream?”

“Yes please. You’re the best, Kara.”

“Thanks. Now, please remember that when I ask you if you want to talk about what happened.”

Alex groaned. She knew the question was coming and appreciated how much time Kara had given her before she asked it. “Little more ice cream, first?”

“Of course.”

Finally, she began to tell Kara what had happened. “Well, we were cuddling on the couch. And it seemed like she was nervous and excited to be there with me too. And then there was a moment where it just looked...right? I don’t know. I kissed her. And it was wonderful and perfect and everything I had imagined it would be. And I swear, for a second it seemed like she felt all those things too. But then she pushed me away and told me she didn’t want to be with me.”

“Were those her words?”

“No, she said she, ‘I don’t want us to happen.’ Something like, ‘I don’t want us to happen like this.’”

Kara heard the difference between those two sentences. She wondered if Alex did. She didn’t want to push the issue or give her sister false hope, but she did wonder whether Maggie was talking about Alex or about the timing or something else altogether. “Well, what was going on? Was there anything else that maybe made Maggie hesitate?”

“No. I don’t know. We had fun making dinner and eating together. We had some wine.”

“Were you drunk?” Kara interrupted.

“No,” Alex snapped. Why did everyone always act like that was such a problem. She could still make decisions. She still knew what she wanted. Knew whom she wanted.

“Okay, okay. Sorry. What about earlier in the night? Or what about Maggie? What was going on with her?”

“Uhm, she was okay. Oh, well, she was a little sad. Someone had dumped her the night before. But who would dump Maggie? They said all these awful things about her, though none of them are really bad things, and the ones that were just aren’t true. I know it. But Maggie didn’t seem that upset. Or at least she wasn’t by the time we were eating.”

Kara tried to process all of the information, still not willing to give Maggie the full benefit of the doubt when her sister was so clearly hurting. “Maybe she was a little more upset than she let on? You know? Break ups are never fun, even when you’re not in love. It still sucks to be told you weren’t enough for someone to stick around.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Kara let Alex talk for a little while longer. She heard about all of the time she’d been spending with Maggie, the cooking lessons and lesbian cultural education. She watched as Alex’s face lit up at certain memories, even though it all seemed a bit melancholy now. Though she was cautious, Kara had heard enough to realize how much good Maggie had been doing for Alex. How she had helped her to come to terms with who she was, to accept and admit and even be proud of it. How she had kept Alex from calling it a phase or repressing all of her feelings all over again. How she had been pulling Alex out of the defensive fortress she had shut herself up in all these years. With all that in mind, Kara ventured, “You know, Maggie’s been really worried about you.”

“Yeah, well, I guess that’s what friends do.” Kara was shocked to hear the amount of venom Alex managed to cram into one word: friends.

“I mean it, Alex. She incurred Dean Grant’s wrath just to find me to make sure you were okay.”

“Really?” Alex perked up almost imperceptibly. A smirk spread across her face, “How did she do with Cat?”

“Uhm, I’ve seen worse?”

“I would have paid to see that.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I’d see Maggie look that intimidated. She was a cop, wasn’t she?”

“Detective,” Alex corrected without thinking about it.

“Well, it seems Dean Grant has a way of making even Gotham PD’s finest cower in their boots.”

“Remind me to tease her about that later.”

“So that means you’ll be talking to her later?”

“Eh,” Alex shrugged, “I suppose I have to. I need to do my mid-semester evaluation meetings with each of the new faculty.”

“Maybe not the best place to bring it up?”

“Probably not.”

\---

Tuesday morning, Alex still didn’t feel like going back to NCU. She knew she had to, though, so she pulled herself out of bed and took solace in the comfort of a hot shower. She pulled on black pants and heels with a silky black button up. She realized she was a bit monotone, but felt it was only appropriate to match her outfit to her mood. Checking the weather, she grabbed her leather jacket, bracing herself for the cold spell that had moved into National City over the weekend—not that she’d left her apartment to experience it.

Her morning passed uneventfully enough. She stopped by Hank’s office just long enough to let him know that she was feeling better, then shut herself in her lab. In all fairness, she was productive, so it wasn’t like she was _only_ hiding from a certain petite brunette. She didn’t venture down the hall for coffee until she knew Maggie’s law school class had begun. Once she had settled into her office with her coffee mug and reheated risotto—really, there was no reason to let cheesy goodness go to waste, even if it had some bad memories attached to it—Alex finally pulled out her phone to get rid of some of the notifications. She didn’t want to deal with the messages, but the little red numbers were driving her insane, begging to be dealt with efficiently.

The messages from Kara were easy enough, since she had seen her just last night. Only one had come in since then wishing her good luck back in classes. She shot a quick response off, thanking Kara again for the food and letting her know that she had made it in safely.

She checked Vicky’s next, groaning in embarrassment when she read over the drunk texts she had sent her on Sunday night. The last few seemed more concerned, so Alex decided to ignore the sex toy discussion and only respond to them, keeping her answers vague and upbeat. “Sorry! I didn’t feel great yesterday and let my phone die. Back to normal today. Thanks for checking.”

Finally she had only Maggie’s texts left. All 52 of them. She skimmed them, not wanting to absorb whatever excuses Maggie had offered. Something about a misunderstanding, wanting to be the best friend she could be to Alex, needing to know Alex was okay. Then they got panicked, then suddenly Monday night the panic stopped. As did most of the messaging. She wondered if Maggie had somehow heard that she was alive. Just one text remained, “Please, just, I want to make sure you’re okay. Friends, right?” Alex didn’t know what to say. She knew she needed to respond, but couldn’t deal with anything beyond cursory interactions. She typed out, “I’m okay. Thanks.”

Later that afternoon, a small knock came from her door. Alex had just been putting on her coat to head home. She wondered if it was Gabriel, the student who kept emailing her about changing his grade on the midterm. “No,” she had explained to him, “I do not _need_ to give you an A because you want to go to med school. I need to give you a D because it’s the grade you earned on the exam. The same exam that every other student took.” Sighing, Alex swung open her door, already starting to explain that office hours had ended and he would need to come back on Thursday or schedule a time.

Only, it wasn’t Gabriel. It was Maggie. Of course it was Maggie. “I’m on my way out, Sawyer,” Alex explained gruffly.

“Okay, great, I am too. We can walk together.”

Alex just nodded in response, before picking up her bag and locking her door.

“Hey, um, hi. How are you?”

“Fine.”

Maggie could tell it would be a challenge trying to talk again. “How were your classes today?”

“Fine.”

So that’s how this would be. “Well, that’s good. You look like you’re feeling better? I’m glad you’re back.”

“Yeah. Doing alright. Thanks for asking.”

Once they got into the fresh air and away from the eyes and ears of their colleagues, Maggie felt better about talking more openly. “Danvers, we’re good, right? Still friends? I mean, we have fun together.”

“Just stop,” Alex snapped. “We can pretend to be friends, but we’re not. Okay? We’re colleagues. We are colleagues who got a little too comfortable with each other. I am your faculty mentor, and in my attempts to make you feel more welcome at this university, I crossed a line and overstepped certain boundaries. You were there to help me through certain…issues. And I appreciate it. But I shouldn’t have let you get that close. Certain things should have happened on my own timetable, not because you were pushing me into them, making me think that who I was and what I felt was valid, giving me hope that those feelings were mutual. And I know, I know that I didn’t say anything, but I just, I need us to go back to what we were. We are two adults who work in the same department. I will treat you with all the respect I would afford to any other colleague and expect you to do the same.”

Maggie looked stunned and stopped short. She felt her eyes start to burn. She had known Alex would probably be hurt, but she didn’t expect this type of rejection. She had done this to save their friendship, not end it. “Alex, please,” Maggie started, but Alex had already gotten onto her motorcycle and was revving the engine. With a small nod, she was gone, leaving Maggie to fight back her emotions as she stood all alone in the parking garage.

For a few days, Maggie tried to follow Alex’s rules. She gave her the distance she had requested, stopping by her office only once to schedule her mid-semester evaluation meeting for the following week. She nodded, offering only a meek smile that was never returned, when they ran into one another in the kitchen or the copy room. For the most part, Maggie stuck to her work. She didn’t venture to Noonan’s. She got to work in time for any meetings, classes, or office hours, and left as soon as they were over, no longer lingering to see if the redhead would want to grab drinks or dinner.

But on Friday, Maggie overheard Alex laughing—it sounded like a genuine laugh, something she hadn’t heard in far too long. She poked her head into the hallway, quickly pulling it back when she saw Alex and Kara chatting outside the kitchen along with Winn. As Kara walked back toward the exit, she yelled over her shoulder, “I’ll see you both at game night! 7 o’clock. Be there on time or incur my wrath!” Maggie smirked; she doubted that little Danvers would ever harm anyone. Though the coldness she had sensed in Kara’s text messages suggested that maybe there was a little more to the blonde than she had accounted for.

That night, Maggie couldn’t bring herself to leave her apartment. She couldn’t bring herself to respond to Jess’ text about finally going out for those drinks she’d been promised. Instead, she sat alone and listened to music and drank beer. And as she drank, she got sentimental. It was a weekend. It was a weekend without Alex. She wondered what Alex was doing now. Actually, she knew what Alex was doing now. She was at game night with Kara. Trying to distract herself, Maggie called her old partner from Gotham PD. She hadn’t talked to Jake much since she got to National City, but he was the type of friend where she could go months without hearing from him and it would be like nothing had changed; they could pick up right where they left off. Maggie got to relax while she talked to him, hearing about his new girlfriend and all her old coworkers in Gotham. But when she asked about Nick there was a pause. “You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?”

Jake cleared his throat. He was always direct—something Maggie had appreciated. “We got a bad tip a few months ago. It was supposed to a regular drug bust, well, same operation but higher-level people than we’d been getting. I guess someone tipped them off. Nick, he, well, he didn’t make it.”

Maggie swallowed and chewed on her nails. She hadn’t been that close with the guy, but it still hurt. Knowing her old friends were in that kind of danger everyday—it wasn’t something she’d had to think about as much lately, now that she was teaching and slightly removed from the day-to-day violence she used to confront. “I’m sorry.”

“So are we. It shouldn’t have happened like that.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Maggie cleared her throat, “Jake, I should go. Be safe, okay? Let’s talk soon.”

“Of course. You too. We hear about some of the shit going on in National City, you know. Even if you’re not on the force anymore, I know you. You like to get yourself into trouble. Be smart.”

After hanging up, Maggie paced her apartment. She knew that people died everyday. She knew that being an officer meant opening yourself up to risks like that, taking them willingly for the good of the city. But it still shook her. The beer sloshing around in her stomach didn’t help. She pulled out her computer, quickly searching for an address. Thanks to some old-fashioned detective skills, she had the information she needed in just minutes. Privacy be damned.

One slightly expensive cab ride later, Maggie found herself in a nice apartment building, counting the numbers on the fourth floor until she found 4A. She had been sure this was a good idea—she needed to know that Alex was okay. Now, she felt a little less certain. The effects of the beer had started to wear off, leaving her with a dull pounding in the back of her head and not much in the way of liquid courage. But she knocked anyway.

A second later, Kara pulled open the door, giving her an odd look. “Hey,” she managed weakly. “Is, um, Alex here?” Kara glared at her—she saw the look now for what it really was—before calling over to Alex.

Alex walked over, giving a small nod to Kara before pulling Maggie into the hallway and shutting the door lightly behind them. Alex stuffed her hands in her pockets, while Maggie traced patterns on the floor with her foot. “Hey, Danvers.”

“You found me at my sister’s apartment.”

“Yeah.” She gave a small smile. “I just, I needed to know you were okay.”

“You saw me at work today.”

“I know.” Maggie took a deep breath. “I just, I heard about an old friend. And it reminded me how fucked up the world can be. And I just, I needed to see you. I needed to know you were okay. That we were okay. I know you’re mad at me, but I don’t think I can deal without you. I don’t want to imagine my life without you in it.”

Alex closed her eyes. She could read so many things into that last sentence, but she knew Maggie didn’t see her like that. Didn’t want her like that. When she opened here eyes again, she saw Maggie looking up at her, pleading. Taking a deep breath, Alex offered, “Lunch. Monday. Like usual.”

A wave of relief washed over Maggie, relaxing all of her features. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

When Alex walked back in, Kara pulled her aside. “Are you okay?” She didn’t mention that she had listened in on their conversation. She didn’t mention that friends didn’t tell friends they couldn’t imagine life without them. She just wanted to make sure her big sister was okay.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” Alex replied, hugging Kara with one arm. “Thanks.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All smut. Gratuitous smut. Not necessarily without plot, but...  
> This chapter is dedicated to our dear VP elect <3

Saturday morning, when Alex got back from her run, she found a box outside of her apartment door. There were no markings to indicate where it came from, but sure enough, there was her address on the packing label. She pushed it inside with her foot, figuring she could open it after her shower.

Once she had showered and eaten something, Alex’s curiosity got the best of her, and she decided the long overdue phone call to her mother could wait. Ripping open the box, Alex looked inside and turned crimson. There they were. A row of plastic boxes full of silicone dicks. Good, she though. This was just what she needed to find before calling her mother. Deciding that she needed to share this moment with someone, and that someone certainly couldn’t be Kara or Maggie, Alex snapped a picture and sent it to Vicky with the caption, “The fuck happened last weekend?”

Vicky’s response came almost immediately. “When I said I would send you links, I meant so you could choose one. I didn’t think you’d buy the whole damn store!”

“Apparently drunk Alex doesn’t like decisions.”

“Drunk Alex imagined some fun nights in her future too.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.”

“Trouble in paradise?”

Alex realized she’d pushed Vicky away during the whole ordeal too. “Not even close to paradise. You, little Ms. Matchmaker, were wrong af.”

Vicky doubted it. “What happened?”

“Too much for text. Come over later? Bring wine?” Kara had said something to Alex about not drinking away her problems alone, but Vicky would be there. And if she only brought one bottle, she wouldn’t be anywhere near drunk. Somehow all of the alcohol in Alex’s apartment had vanished. She remembered drinking a lot last weekend, but she hoped she hadn’t managed to finish everything.”

“Be there at 4 with a bottle of white.”

Alex was pleased. She missed Vicky and how easy things were between them. The boundaries of their relationship were clear. They were flirty and sometimes had sex, but they both knew it was only friendship. And it was a great friendship. Vicky was helping her come out and had been trying to set her up with Maggie. And they had fun together. They had a history and shared friends, so it was easy to find people to gossip about and memories to laugh about. Plus, since there was no jealousy to worry about, they could talk openly about dating and crushes. Alex helped swipe through profiles on Her, trying to determine Vicky’s type and who she might click with. And then after the dates, Alex got to hear all the lurid details over popcorn and wine, feeling like they had continued right on from high school without all of the interim drama.

\---

By the time Vicky arrived, Alex could not be happier to see her. She flung herself into Vicky’s arms, crying in an overdramatic voice, “My mother will kill me one of these days! I can’t. Nope. No more phone calls. Done, so done!”

“Aww, what’s Eliza done now?”

Alex put on her best imitation of Eliza (which didn’t sound much like the woman at all, but was still amusing): “Alex! What are you doing with your life? Kara just got promoted? Didn’t you hear? Are you supporting her enough? Are you making sure she’s happy? What happened with that James boy? What about you? Are you ever going to see anyone? Am I going to get grandchildren, Alex? Or are you still locked up in your lab? Kara tells me you’ve been upset and drinking. Don’t go down that road again. We all know it was just luck that you got out of it once. Who will be there to help you this time?”

Vicky pulled Alex into a hug, patting her head, “There, there. She means well. She just has her own twisted way of showing it.”

“Ugh, well, I wish she could learn the normal way of showing it. Maybe give that a shot.”

“Fair. But I come bearing wine and cheesy breadsticks!”

“My hero! Hey! This wine bottle is half empty.”

“Or half full. Don’t be such a pessimist.” Alex gave her a look. Vicky wasn’t going to mention that she had run into Kara or that Kara had asked her to keep an eye on Alex’s drinking. She wasn’t going to cut Alex off entirely, but she had heard the stories Alex told her about grad school and certainly wouldn’t want to see her going back down that path now that she was doing so much better. So she figured, half a bottle gives them barely more than a glass each—a perfectly reasonable amount to consume on a Saturday afternoon with a friend. “Just stop whining and be grateful. I didn’t have time to stop for something new, but I brought you bread sticks filled with melted cheese and garlic dipping sauce. So say, ‘Thank you, Vicky.’”

“Thank you, Vicky,” Alex complied with a small grin.

They dug into the food and talked about their weeks. Vicky got to hear the short version of last weekend. Alex was happy to find that she could tell an abbreviated version without getting choked up. Now it was just something that had happened. Something embarrassing and unfortunate, but still just an event that she could narrate like any other.

Like Kara, Vicky didn’t mention that it sounded more like timing than a lack of attraction. But when Alex told her about Maggie’s trip to Kara’s apartment the night before, Vicky couldn’t help herself. “Okay, that girl likes you whether or not you’re going to admit it.”

“More like whether or not she’s going to admit it.”

“Either way, Alex. Plus, it’s not like you came out and told her you liked her. You just kissed her.”

Alex hadn’t really thought about that. “I think she knows. I sort of said it later when we fought in the parking garage.”

“Still, I wouldn’t write it off just yet.”

“Eh, whatever,” Alex said as she threw away their trash. She poured two glasses of wine, not even bothering to finish the bottle, Vicky noticed with a smile. “Now come help me sort through my purchases. Please?”

Vicky grinned at Alex’s flushed cheeks. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“I do like to wine and dine a lady before I pull out my box of dicks,” Alex teased, feeling emboldened by Vicky’s nonchalance toward the whole endeavor. It was her best friend after all. Her best friend who was on the ground laughing.

“You’re funny. You should make jokes more often.”

“You make it easy to joke around. I’m glad we’re friends again,” Alex added in a slightly more serious tone.

Vicky nodded in response, then headed over to the cardboard box, pulling out each of the items and lining them up on Alex’s living room floor. “Come on down.” She patted the floor next to her. “Let’s see what you got.”

One-by-one, Vicky explained what each of the toys was and how it differed from the others. This one had ridges that were good for g-spot stimulation. Another was smooth and smaller—better for first times and warming up. The third had a vibrator that shook the whole toy, making Alex’s eyes go wide. The fourth box was a very small vibrator, much like the one she had enjoyed at Vicky’s apartment. The fifth box made Vicky smirk. “I didn’t know you were into anal, Al.”

“What?” Alex yelped. “I’m not! I’ve never!”

“Relax,” Vicky coaxed Alex down. “One: nothing wrong with taking it up the ass, but it’s not for everyone. Me? I’m not a big fan. But I know girls that like it. Two: it’s easy to make the mistake when shopping online. It’s a pretty similar shape, but way smaller. If you don’t open the plastic shrinkwrap around the box, you can return it.”

“Yeah, I will definitely be doing that. Returning it I mean.”

“Whatever you choose. No judgment here.”

Vicky pulled out the last box. It was all black without any pictures on the outside. Vicky was so curious. She wondered if Alex was into something kinky—something kinky enough to be shipped in all black packaging. When she opened the box, she sighed. She was a little disappointed. Just a harness. A nice one, but nothing Vicky hadn’t seen or used before. Though, she realized, this meant Alex had thought about using a strap on. And that thought was far more exciting.

Alex looked at her expectantly. “Well? What is it?”

“Do you really not remember your purchases?”

“You read my texts. Do you think I remember my purchases.”

“Eh, maybe not. Well…” She wondered if Alex would die of embarrassment. “It’s a harness.”

“A harness?”

“Yeah. For wearing. So that you can, you know, fuck someone else with one of your new toys.”

“Oh! Ohhh.” Alex got it now. She could feel a warmth spreading across her chest and knew she must be turning a bright shade of red by now. “Right, yeah, probably a mistake. Can definitely return it.”

“Or,” Vicky added, “you don’t have to return it.” Alex looked at her in confusion. “Maybe you don’t want to wear it yet, but they’re fun. I have one.” Alex looked a bit relieved at this admission. “I talked about it when we were texting that one night. There are certain…advantages to the situation.”

“Okay,” Alex paused. “I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have around. Hidden. In a lead box.”

“Lead?”

Shit. Vicky still didn’t know about Kara. “Well, I guess it doesn’t need to be lead. But something with a lock for prying little sisters.”

“I think your little sister will know better than to go snooping through your things after what she walked in on that one time.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Alex groaned into a pillow.

Vicky decided to drop the teasing. In a businesslike tone she continued, “Okay, well, you’ve got one return, but do you think you’ll keep the others? It looks like a lot. And it sort of is for one purchase, but you’re making up for lost time.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll keep the rest.” Alex tried to fight the pink tinge she knew would be sweeping across her chest.

“Okay, well you’re pretty much set.”

“Pretty much? What else could I possibly need?”

“Besides someone to use all this with?”

“Shut up.”

“You need lube.”

“I’ve never used that before.”

“That’s because the men you hooked up with sucked in bed. But trust me. Silicone can really soak up moisture. It’s good to get lube. And just make sure not to get anything silicone-based; it’ll eat away at the toys.”

“What?”

“You’re a scientist, Alex. This cannot be all that confusing. But if you want, we can walk down to CVS and get it. I have a feeling you’ll chicken out if I don’t help you.”

“You know me too well.”

“Well come on, then. Get on your coat. We’re going shopping!”

Alex was shocked at the ease with which Vicky sifted through different bottles of lube, pointing out the ones that were shit and the ones that would ruin her toys. Alex just flushed bright red, worried that someone might notice what aisle they were in. After a few minutes, Vicky had helped Alex pick out two small tubes. She told her to play with both and see which she liked better before getting a larger bottle of it.

“Psst,” Alex whispered. “Should we, uhm, should we get condoms or something? So they don’t think we’re like, masturbating?”

Vicky shook her head at Alex. “It’s the twenty-first century. Women are shown masturbating on television. And also, you don’t need to waste your money on something you don’t need right now so that the pimply teenager at the counter doesn’t judge you for being sexually adventurous. But, if you are planning to have sex with more than one person at once or with someone who hasn’t been tested for STDs, then by all means, let’s look at condoms and dental dams.”

“No! No, no. Not planning on doing that. Lots of testing, always good. One person at a time. Just, let’s go pay.”

By the time they got back to Alex’s apartment, Vicky had just about finished laughing at Alex for how embarrassed she’d been. “Alright then, I guess you’re all set. You’re a proper lesbian, now. My work here is done.”

Emboldened by a rush of Alex didn't know or care what, she grabbed Vicky’s arm. “Well, maybe I own everything now, but that doesn’t mean I know how to use it.”

“Are you trying to seduce me, Dr. Danvers?” Vicky purred.

“No,” Alex squeaked. “Unless you want me to be doing that.”

“Well…I guess I did end things with Erika. And I’ve been tested—all clean. And I do like to help out my dear baby gay. I suppose I could lend a helping hand…or two.”

Alex blushed, but she was pleased with the outcome.

“Well come on,” Vicky motioned, “Wash the toys out here, then bring the boxes and the lube to your bedroom. I’m running to the bathroom, then I’ll be right in.”

Alex felt a thrill of nerves and excitement. She wondered if she should change. Well, no, she guessed Vicky wouldn’t be able to change, so that probably wasn’t necessary. She hastily made her bed, pulling her sheets and comforter up and pushing her pillows into some semblance of a display. It would have to do. She sat down next to the boxes, pulling each one out and inspecting them again.

“See one you like, champ?” Alex’s head snapped up and she looked at Vicky with wide eyes as if she had been caught red-handed. “Relax, it’s good that you’re looking at them. You should figure out what you like.”

Alex nodded, then pulled out the smooth, smaller dildo. In a soft voice she nearly whispered, “Maybe we start with this.”

“I think that’s a great choice,” Vicky encouraged her. Do you want it inside you, or do you want to fuck me with it?”

Alex froze. She hadn’t considered the option that she might be the one doing the fucking. “Uh, well, I guess this is for me. Maybe later you choose if you, uh, want something?”

Vicky smiled and nodded, hoping that she could keep Alex talking, keep reminding her that there was nothing shameful or embarrassing about talking about sex or having sex—in any way she chose.

Alex started opening the box, but Vicky put a hand over hers. “Here, put that on the nightstand. Even with lube, foreplay is still important.”

Alex didn’t want to tell Vicky that she was already wet, that the mere thought of fucking and being fucked by Vicky made her heart race and her breath catch and her core clench. So she complied, putting the toy down and pulling Vicky onto her bed. She rolled on top of Vicky, pulling her in for what began as a sweet kiss. It was so unlike the last time they had been together, though perhaps a bit more like their first time all those years ago.

\--- ~ ---

_“I don’t know. I know it’s dumb and just a tradition, but prom night is supposed to be, you know, special. And now I’m going to go off to college a virgin, and Ryan said that I’ll be the only one.”_

_“Alex,” Vicky sighed, pulling her friend in for a hug. “You’re 18. It’s not like you’re some forty-year-old virgin. And you shouldn’t do anything you don’t want to do. Ryan is a dumbass.”_

_“I know, I know. And it wasn’t like I liked Tim enough to let him have that…I mean, I know it’s just sex or whatever, but it should be, I don’t know, with someone you love. Or at least someone you like.”_

_“Yeah. And definitely someone you trust. And have known for more than a hot second!” she teased Alex._

_“Fine! I just thought,” Alex considered her words carefully, “Maybe this could be my chance to be normal.”_

_“Screw normal. You’re better than that. You’re so smart and pretty and talented. And everyone is going to be knocking down your door trying to date you at Stanford.”_

_“I’ll miss you, Vicky. I wish you were going to Stanford too. What am I supposed to do without my best friend?”_

_“I know. But we’ll talk! We can call each other every week and talk about our classes and new friends. They won’t be as good as I am, duh, but still. We’ll always be best friends, Alex.”_

_“Yeah, you’re right. You’re always right. I don’t know why I built this night up so much. People just talk. And with Kara and everything, I’m already a bit of an easy target.”_

_“Does having this one ‘typical’ night mean that much to you?”_

_“Sort of. It’s stupid. I’m sorry, I know I’m being dumb.”_

_“Well…” Vicky began. Her heart raced in her chest, and she fought to keep her breathing under control. “I mean, you could still have your prom night moment?”_

_“How? Tim went home an hour ago.”_

_“No one said prom night had to be spent with the person you brought to prom, right?”_

_“I guess not…”_

_“Well…I’m here. And we’re best friends. We trust each other so much. And I know you so much better than Tim does. And plus, apparently girls do this all the time in college. It’s not a big deal at all.”_

_Alex’s heart slammed in her chest. She felt heat sweeping through her body, a pulse thrumming between her legs. She loved Vicky—as a friend! And she wondered about how Vicky made her feel, all those nights they spent curled up in Vicky’s bed together. Sometimes their hands had wandered. The touches were nice. They made Alex’s skin feel electric, like some kind of current that only Vicky could find. But she had convinced herself that those touches were just gentle reassurances—reminders that the other person was still there. But now, now was the chance to make them something more. She could feel how much her body wanted it, but that scared her too._

_“So?” Vicky asked, placing a hand on Alex’s stomach, making her abs clench in response as she felt a wetness grow between her legs._

_Alex nodded, then moved her hand up to cup Vicky’s cheek gently, drawing her friend into her for a soft kiss. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just feeling each other’s lips, learning the softness of another woman’s touch. Vicky hesitantly pushed her tongue forward as Alex parted her lips. Soon, the kiss grew deeper, and Alex felt like she finally got why other kids would spend whole nights just making out in the backseats of cars, letting their hands wander and learning the curves of another person’s body._

_Fighting back the fear about what it meant that her body responded like this to Vicky when it never had to Tim or Brian or Rick, Alex let her hands explore Vicky’s body. The little gasps she received as rewards for her exploration made her more and more insistent, desperate to learn every spot that might evoke such a response from the stunning woman lying next to her._

_Vicky tugged at Alex’s shirt, and Alex raised her hands, helping Vicky to remove it. She reached over and did the same to Vicky. They looked at each other with new appreciation. They’d changed in front of one another, but that was always fast—something that needed to be done to get to a game or into pajamas. This was intentional and full of meaning. Vicky traced her fingers gently around Alex’s chest, smiling as she heard Alex’s breath hitch when she glanced over her nipples. She gave a small tug at one and felt Alex’s hips buck forward into hers._

_“Sorry,” Alex mumbled._

_“Don’t be,” Vicky whispered. “It’s good. I feel the same way.”_

_At the reassurance that what she felt was normal, Alex relaxed into Vicky’s touches. Moving her own hands onto Vicky’s chest and copying Vicky’s motions, delighting in the noises of enjoyment Vicky was trying to stifle. Emboldened by Vicky’s response, Alex let her hands drift down Vicky’s sides, running her fingers gently across her hipbones, letting them dip beneath the waistband of Vicky’s underwear, then trailing them down Vicky’s bare thighs._

_“Please,” Vicky whispered._

_Alex tensed. She knew she was enjoying herself, but she wasn’t really sure what to do._

_“Just, please touch me. If you want to.”_

_Alex nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed her fingers under the cloth fabric. She felt a damp spot and wondered if she had one and how big it was by now. She could swear even her inner thighs felt sticky at this point. Alex shifted slightly on top of Vicky, groaning in pleasure as she made contact with Vicky’s thighs._

_“You could take those off,” Vicky offered, “If you want to, that is.”_

_“Can I take yours off too?” Alex asked, hesitant but hopeful._

_Vicky nodded, and exhaled as Alex pulled the last bit of clothing off of her body. Before she could act, Alex had kicked off her own as well, leaving them both naked as Alex shifted back into position, letting her hand move back to Vicky’s inner thighs._

_Vicky relaxed when she felt how wet Alex was against her. She had worried that maybe she was the only one. She bit her lip as Alex found her way to her center, letting her fingers dip lightly into the folds as she traced light patterns around the whole area. Alex wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but everything just felt nice. It was like her whole body was on fire, humming at the contact she hadn’t realized she craved until now. She moved her fingers higher and heard Vicky gasp. Trying to stay around the small nub she felt under her fingers but feeling clumsy in the darkness, Alex moved quickly across and around it. Vicky panted and put a hand on the back of Alex’s neck, drawing her in for a kiss. Alex thought nothing could get better than this until she felt Vicky moaning into her mouth, sucking and biting at her bottom lip as she tried to stay quiet, rocking against Alex’s hand more and more urgently._

_“Can you, um, can you put one of them, um, inside of me?” Vicky asked, a dark blush spreading across her freckled cheeks. Gently, Alex tried to find her way. After a few seconds, Vicky brought her own hand down to help guide Alex and moaned when she finally felt the other woman inside of her. Once Alex had started to work her way into a rhythm that made Vicky buck against her hand, she asked, “Can you put your thumb back up where your hand was?” Again, helping Alex to find her way in the dark, Vicky led her thumb up, biting the inside of her cheek when she found the spot. After a few moments of hesitation as Alex tried to figure out how to keep both motions going, she finally got into it again. Vicky smiled and gasped, pulling Alex down into her once more, letting their lips crash together as she felt waves of pleasure wash over her, barely able to stay silent as she squeezed her eyes shut._

_When she opened them again, Alex was looking down at her, mouth open and eyes wide. “I’m sorry. Was that too much,” Vicky asked, a rush of nervousness hitting her hard._

_Alex shook her head quickly. “I, just, no, wow.” Alex’s chest was heaving and her mouth had gone dry._

_Vicky smiled and carefully pushed Alex down onto her back, kissing her, quickly letting the passion build again. “Can I help you?” Alex made a soft whining noise and nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. Vicky let her hand slip lower, teasing around Alex’s hips and sticky inner thighs before finally letting her fingers find their destination._

_“Wow,” Alex whispered. It felt better than anything she had ever experienced. She had let herself explore her own body a few times, but it was different—colder, somehow removed, as though she were an objective observer, noting the reactions her body made to various stimuli. Vicky began tracing small circles, making Alex bite back her own whimpers as she rocked her hips forward. When Vicky tried to push inside her, though, Alex pulled back._

_“Sorry! Are you okay?” Vicky whispered, suddenly very nervous that she had done something wrong._

_“Yeah, I just, I’ve never, uh, you know. And they say it hurts the first time.”_

_Vicky suspected that one finger probably wouldn’t hurt. And she thought that Alex probably had enough lubrication going on to make her not feel a thing, but she didn’t push it. It was whatever Alex wanted that mattered. She let her fingers return to their earlier circles, but Alex seemed tense still, as though she were worried about what Vicky’s fingers might do. In a moment of boldness that Vicky hadn’t expected until she opened her mouth, she asked, “Can I try something else? I promise it won’t hurt.”_

_Alex nodded at her, curious what her best friend meant. She trusted Vicky with her life, so she wasn’t worried, but she wanted to know. Vicky moved her mouth down Alex’s chest, kissing softly as she went. When she reached the soft patch of hair between Alex’s hips, Vicky paused, looking up at Alex for some sign that she could keep going. Alex could only gulp and nod, begging Vicky with her eyes. She hadn’t expected this. She'd heard some of the boys in their grade talking about it, but they always said it seemed too gross, though a few talked about older brothers in college who said it drove girls wild, made them do anything you wanted as repayment. Alex didn’t much like the sound of that arrangement, but this? Her best friend offering to do that to her? She was all for trying it._

_When Vicky’s tongue found it’s way between her folds, Alex thought she might cry. It was so delicate and soft and wet and warm. She understood why it drove women wild, though she had no idea what could be gross about it. Vicky began to move her tongue in different ways, trying to guess what might feel good for Alex. She hadn’t done this before either, but the rush of wetness that greeted her made her think she was doing a decent job at least. She let her tongue draw up to the sensitive nub Alex had enjoyed her touching before, running her tongue across it and around it as Alex grabbed large fistfuls of the sheets. After a few minutes of that, when Alex’s hips were bucking wildly, Vicky tried taking the bud in her mouth and sucking gently. Alex swore there was nothing that would ever be better than this moment. Everything was overwhelming and amazing and soon, she felt her whole body tensing and shaking, then relaxing under the gentle licks that Vicky had returned to. “Oh my god,” Alex whispered._

_“Good?” Vicky asked._

_“Do you even have to ask?” They giggled quietly before letting their lips join together once more, gently kissing each other and running their fingers across each other’s skin and through their hair. Finally, after pulling back on their clothes in case Kara or Eliza opened the door without knocking the next morning, they drifted into a deep sleep, curled in one another’s arms._

\--- ~ ---

Alex smiled at the memories she could finally enjoy, freed from the shame that she had let build up around them for all those years. She returned her attention to the very attractive woman underneath her whose insistent touches were getting more desperate. As if they were both hit by the same thought, Alex and Vicky quickly began pulling their clothes off, sighing into one another as their skin finally met without barriers. Alex loved the feeling of holding Vicky close to her, feeling the smoothness of her skin, their chests pressed close together, legs intertwined. When Vicky pulled Alex’s hair lightly, she let out a loud moan, grinding into Vicky’s tensed thigh muscles.

“Now, now. We have some toys to play with,” Vicky teased Alex, removing her leg despite the woman’s whining complaints.

“Fine,” Alex conceded, reaching over for the smooth pink toy. Vicky grabbed one of the lubes off the nightstand and applied it liberally. “Do we really need that much?” Alex asked.

“Probably not,” Vicky admitted, laughing softly, “But better safe than sorry.” Vicky rolled Alex onto her back, coming to rest between her legs.

“This looks familiar,” Alex teased.

“Lucky you.” Vicky grinned up at Alex. “You okay with this?”

Alex nodded her head, pulling her head up from the pillows to watch as Vicky carefully positioned the toy and slid it inside of her.

“Oh,” Alex whimpered. The lube did feel nice, far better than she had expected. The toy slid easily in and out of her, and she enjoyed the feeling.

“Do you want it faster? Slower? Deeper?”

“Maybe faster? A little harder?”

Vicky nodded and picked up her pace, leaning her body weight into her thrusts. Alex’s breathing picked up and she was making noises of enjoyment, but it was nothing like Vicky had seen the other night. She kept up a steady pace, varying the depth of her thrusts, for a few more minutes, but Alex seemed no closer to coming than she was just grinding into Vicky’s thigh. “Maybe not the toy for you?”

“It could be,” Alex started. Suddenly embarrassed, she looked down, mumbling, “I think I’m too wet right now. I can’t really feel it.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of, Al. Do you want to try the one with ridges? Maybe you’ll feel it a little more.”

Alex nodded enthusiastically as Vicky reached down to retrieve the slightly larger purple dildo. She watched closely as Vicky applied lube to the toy and licked her lips as Vicky moved it between her legs. “You okay?” Alex nodded quickly, murmuring her assent. Vicky moved carefully, letting the bulb of the toy dip in and around Alex’s wet entrance before slowly sliding it inside of her.

Alex gasped at how different this felt from the other one. She felt full in all the best ways and the ridges provided friction where she needed it most. She let her mouth hang open as she relaxed into the pleasure that threatened to overwhelm her. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed Vicky staring at her, an almost predatory hunger in her eyes. Keeping a steady rhythm, Vicky swung one leg over Alex’s allowing it to relieve some of the tension that had been building in her core as she lowered her upper body over Alex. Whispering in her ear, Vicky asked, “You like that?” Alex let out a low moan that made Vicky whimper. “I wish I were wearing a strap on to fuck you with this. I want both of my hands free to feel you under me.” Alex whimpered, her eyes growing impossibly darker. “You like it when I talk dirty to you?” Vicky asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Yes,” Alex gasped, thrusting faster against the toy inside of her.

“Do you think you could take even more?”

Alex wasn’t sure exactly what Vicky meant, but she knew she wanted to find out and nodded.

Vicky reached down and pulled the grabbed bullet vibrator, turning it on to a low setting and teasing Alex’s nipples before sliding it down to her clit, not letting it rest there, but drawing small teasing circles around it. Alex whimpered, her eyes wide and pleading.

“I want to hear you beg for it. Tell me what you need.”

“Please,” Alex rasped. “I want you. Harder. More. Please,” she gasped out.

Never one to deny a request, Vicky picked up her pace slightly, thrusting harder into Alex, though watching for any signs of discomfort, and let the vibrator return to Alex’s clit, switching it up one level.

“Fuck,” Alex groaned. She grabbed the headboard with both hands, lifting her hips off the bed, trying to get more of anything and everything. She was letting loose a string of profanities, telling Vicky all the things she wanted to do to her and have done to her—things she never dreamed she’d say aloud. And then her breath caught and she was silent, arching her back up as her whole body tensed before finally she felt everything break and she came crashing back down to the bed with a loud sigh. Vicky removed the vibrator, letting her fingers take its place as she softened the pace of her thrusts, letting Alex ride out the last waves of her orgasm before slowing to a stop and sliding the toy back out. She licked up Alex’s abs and chest, feeling the aftershocks roll through the woman’s body. She kissed Alex softly, gently pulling on her lower lip. Alex relaxed into the embrace, pulling away for a second only to nuzzle into the crook between Vicky’s neck and shoulder.

“You good?” Vicky checked.

“Amazing. My legs feel like jello.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Your hands and mouth the other night: oh my god. But they’re both so good. In different ways.”

“You don’t need to explain. Good is good. I know that.”

“You’re great.”

“I know,” Vicky responded smugly.

After a few minutes of cuddling, Alex started to stretch out again, running her fingers down Vicky’s side. Unable to stop herself, Vicky let out a low moan.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! You! You did so much for me and here you are. Oh no, I’m acting like a stereotypical man!”

Vicky laughed. “You’re okay, Alex. It was new; I wanted you to have time to explore.”

“And I so appreciate it. You’re the best. But don’t think I don’t want to return the favor.” Her voice dropped several octaves as she leaned down to whisper in Vicky’s ear, “Please. Let me make you feel good.”

Vicky groaned, pulling Alex on top of her. Alex began kissing her with enthusiasm, palming her breasts and rolling the nipples in between her fingers as they hardened. Alex was so consumed with her enjoyment of seeing the changes in Vicky’s body under her touch and the sexy noises she made, it took her a second to notice that Vicky had started to beg. “Please, please, Alex. I’m so wet. I need you.”

Although Alex would be happy to let her hands and mouth pleasure Vicky, she wondered what it would be like to use the toys herself. “Do you, uhm, do you want to try anything?”

Vicky’s eyebrows raised. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “Only if you want to!”

Well,” Vicky began, “What do you want to do to me?”

Alex felt a rush of arousal and she urged herself against Vicky. “I don’t know. I just want you to feel as good as I did.”

Vicky licked her lips. Well, right now, I’m so close, I really just need you to let me cum. But then, I have an idea…”

Alex was one step ahead, letting her fingers swirl in the wetness that had gathered around Vicky’s folds before plunging two fingers inside of her. She could feel Vicky drawing her fingers deeper inside of her, and Alex curled her fingers up, dragging them along Vicky’s front wall. She could feel Vicky shuddering underneath her and, in a moment of impulse, Alex lowered her head, taking Vicky’s clit between her lips and flicking her tongue across the sensitive bud. Within seconds, she could feel Vicky convulsing underneath her touch and coming undone. Alex let her ride it out, learning the feel of Vicky’s body and when she had had enough. Removing her fingers and licking them clean, Alex drew back up to curl alongside Vicky. “So what was your idea?

Vicky smiled at the enthusiasm. It made her almost miss the thrill of everything being so new. Of course, getting to experience everything with a new person was a thrill in its own right, and not having to worry or stress about what might feel good or bad was amazing, but still, there was something about the wonder in Alex’s eyes. “Well, and feel free to say no, but I thought maybe you might want to try out the harness. It can be hard to get used to—not exactly muscles you’re used to using in that way—but I figure I can be a pretty non-judgmental audience, help you learn how to move your hips and control your motions, find out what feels good for you and for me.”

Alex’s heart rate sped up. It seemed nerve-wracking but exciting. “I’d sort of rather you fucked me with one first.”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. But this is your harness. Not that you can’t share, but I feel like I’d rather let it be yours.”

Alex nodded. That logic sort of made sense to her. “You won’t laugh at me?”

“Have I laughed at you before? But also, hey, Alex, laughing can be a part of sex, at least sex with someone you trust. It doesn’t mean I’m making fun of you, but funny things can happen, and that can be okay too. I want you to be having fun, and that might mean stopping to laugh at something. But it doesn’t mean I think you’re not sexy or anything like that. It just means I’m relaxed enough to respond honestly.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense. But just, let me know if I’m doing it wrong.”

“If it makes you feel any better, the first time I used one, I couldn’t figure out how to get the dildo in the hole. I kept trying to shove it in from the front, not realizing that you needed to, uh, drop in through the hole, as it goes.” Alex grinned. “You can laugh at me. It’s funny.” Alex let out a small laugh, glad that she had someone like Vicky to help diffuse the tension and dispel her nerves.

Together, they pulled it out of the box, and Vicky helped Alex get strapped in.

“Do I look weird?” Alex asked.

Vicky ran her tongue along her teeth. “No, trust me.” Her voice came out low, almost a growl, and she looked like she wanted to pounce on Alex. “Come here, look in a mirror.” She led Alex over to her closet where she had a full-length mirror. Standing behind Alex and running her hands up and down her sides, Vicky coaxed Alex to admire herself. She whispered into Alex’s ear how hot she looked, how powerful. Alex had to admit, she looked good, especially from the back where it emphasized her ass in a very flattering way.

Once Vicky was sure that Alex felt comfortable in the harness itself, she asked which toy she might want to use, reminding her to wash them off in hot water first if she wanted to use one of the two they had already played with.

“Well, could we try the third one? That way we’ve really done everything. Except the butt plug. Still not into that…”

Vicky laughed, happy to see how comfortably Alex was talking about these things now and pleased that she had played a role in that shift. “Sounds good.” Vicky wasn’t going to push Alex in any specific direction, but she had hoped Alex might choose the one with the vibrator. She’d love to see Alex coming undone while fucking her, and this was her best bet at seeing that reaction.

Once she helped Alex get the toy in the harness, Vicky stepped back to assess. “Damn, Danvers. You look hot.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked, trying not to sound to hopeful.

“Yes. Definitely.”

“So, uh, what now?”

“You’re the one that’s had sex with people with dicks here, you tell me,” Vicky teased. “But no, please don’t do what any of them did with you. That sounds like shitty sex. I don’t know, get used to having it on. We won’t put lube on it yet. First just kiss me. It’ll feel a little weird suddenly having something new between your legs, but you’ll get used to it.”

Alex knelt on the bed and moved forward to Vicky, immediately poking Vicky’s hips with the dick. Vicky saw the embarrassment and moved forward, shifting her hips out of the way and meeting Alex for a searing kiss. After a few minutes of making out, Alex had gotten back out of her head again, letting her hands roam freely as she felt Vicky’s breathing get shallower.

“How you feeling? Think you’re ready to use it?”

Alex nodded.

“Okay, we’ll start out simple. Missionary, right? I’ll get on my back. I’m gonna put a pillow under me—it helps, trust me. We’ll put some lube on and you’ll, you know, fuck me. Start slowly, okay?”

Alex nodded. She was nervous, but the sight of Vicky stretched out underneath her provided a welcome distraction. She put lube into her fingers and rubbed it all around the toy. “What do I do with the extra?”

“Here, rub it on my clit. It feels good.” Vicky relaxed into Alex’s touches, feeling herself getting wetter in anticipation.

“Should I, um, turn it on?”

“Huh? Oh! The vibrator. Not yet. It might be a bit…distracting for you. How about you get the hang of this first.”

Nodding in agreement, Alex looked down, a bit unsure of where to go.”

“Hold onto it, okay?” Vicky instructed. “Now use your other hand to part me, right, just see where you’re going. Now slowly lean forward and ease it inside of me.”

Alex did as she was told and, after one bad first attempt that had Vicky wincing slightly, made it inside before freezing up. “What do I do now,” she whispered, trying to fight the panic that had risen up inside of her.

“Just pull out slowly—not all the way out—then gently push back in. Once you get the hang of it you can speed up a little.”

Again, Alex did as she was told, appreciating the clear directions. She began to feel more comfortable, and Vicky seemed to relax into the experience as she had to give fewer and fewer instructions. Other than a couple of times where she pulled out too far, Alex felt like she was doing a better job than she had expected. After going a few minutes with no issues at all, she sped up slightly, trying to think of the handful of halfway decent sexual experiences she’d had in the past and the more graphic sex scenes she’d seen to remember the type of rhythm they had used. Once she started thrusting a little harder with Vicky’s consent, Alex noticed the way the base of the toy pressed against her clit when she was deep inside of Vicky and groaned in appreciation. Vicky smiled up at her, glad to see Alex getting to enjoy herself. Finally confident that Alex wasn’t too nervous or in desperate need of guidance, Vicky lay back down to enjoy the experience herself.

After a few minutes, Alex noticed that Vicky, while smiling and making a few appreciative noises, didn’t really seem to be getting much out of this. “Do you, uhm, want to stop?”

“Stop? No. Why?”

“Well, it doesn’t really seem like this is doing anything for you.”

“Honestly, this position rarely does for me. But it’s a good one to start with. You seem to be doing better now, though, if you want to try something new. And then there’s always the vibrator we can turn on when you’re ready.”

Alex nodded. She had a very particular fantasy in mind and wondered whether Vicky would be game to try it. “I’d like to change positions, if that’s okay with you.”

“Lead the way.”

“Is it okay if I lead the way out of the bedroom?”

Vicky was intrigued. “Yeah, of course.” She moved to slide herself off of the toy, but Alex surprised her by scooping her up in her arms and carrying her off the bed, careful not to push too hard into her. Vicky was impressed. And turned on, so fucking turned on. “You, um, you work out much?”

Alex grinned. Ever since Kara had decided to come out as Supergirl, she’d helped her train, getting in pretty decent shape herself. She certainly couldn’t take down huge aliens, but she wasn’t overly afraid of being mugged anymore. “Something like that.” With little effort, Alex carried Vicky out into the living room, intent on reaching the ledge by her window that came right up to near Alex’s waist.

Vicky stopped her. “Um, while you’re holding me like this, any chance we could live out a quick fantasy of mine?”

“Only fair if we’re doing mine.”

A huge smile lit up Vicky’s face. She pointed at a free wall, asking, “Can you push me up against that wall and kiss me hard? Then we can go back to wherever you were taking me.”

Alex grinned and with two long strides, reached the wall where she pushed Vicky into the cold paint, feeling a chill run through her body. Vicky’s legs wrapped tightly around Alex’s waist, pulling her deeper inside. Keeping one hand under Vicky’s ass, Alex reached the other around to play with Vicky’s nipples as she kissed her hard, nipping at her bottom lip and not pulling away until they were both panting and out of breath.

“That was perfect,” Vicky breathed. “Now yours!”

Alex made her way over to the ledge, gently setting Vicky down, though keeping Vicky’s legs wrapped around her. Alex carefully thrust in and out of Vicky, getting the rhythm back down again. She loved having both hands free to roam Vicky’s body and tangle in her hair.

Vicky let her head fall back, opening her throat to Alex’s desperate kisses, fully aware that she’d probably need to wear a scarf to class on Monday. Alex was really getting the hang of this, and the new angle had the harness hitting her clit with every thrust.

“Can I turn this on?” Alex asked.

Vicky nodded eagerly, and Alex reached down to switch it on to the lowest setting. They both gasped. Alex was surprised to realize how much of the vibration would be directly against her. She hoped that she would be able to concentrate enough to make Vicky come, though from the sounds Vicky had been making, she thought it might be a little easier now. Trying to focus again, Alex began thrusting, working her way back into a momentum as her nails raked up and down Vicky’s back and her mouth nipped and sucked all along Vicky’s neck and jaw. The vibrations felt amazing, and Vicky found herself quaking, nearing the edge. She was desperate to see Alex come while fucking her, though. She whispered in Alex’s ear, “Come for me?”

Alex shuddered. She’d been holding back her own orgasm, desperate to last for Vicky’s sake. “You first.”

“No,” Vicky purred. “It’s not the shitty sex you used to have, and toys don't work like that. You can keep fucking me once you come. Please, I need that visual. I promise I’ll come right after.”

While Vicky was talking she had begun running her hands across Alex’s chest, letting her fingers trace her collarbone and lightly pinch her nipples. Using her legs, she pulled herself in tight against Alex, moving her hips in fast, shallow motions as she let her fingers dip lower and lower until, with a shuddering gasp, Alex’s knees buckled and she crashed into Vicky’s waiting arms, moaning loudly.

Her fall had pushed the button at the base of the vibrator, pushing it into a stronger setting. Vicky urged Alex back up, begging her to fuck her harder. She knew she wouldn’t last long, and she needed Alex to be active, to feel what she could do to her body. As Alex thrust into her, Vicky reached down, letting her nails dig into Alex’s ass as she pulled her in tighter, needing to feel more of Alex inside of her. Alex’s husky voice was loud in her ear, begging her to come in graphic terms. With one hard thrust, Vicky’s hands flew up, one digging into Alex’s hair while the other pulled Alex tight against her. Vicky held on to Alex’s body as she felt the waves of her orgasm roll through her body. Shuddering into Alex, Vicky swore she felt Alex’s arms shaking underneath her and when she looked up, she saw Alex biting her lips, clearly trying to fight back another orgasm. “Come for me,” Vicky instructed, and Alex moaned loudly into her shoulder, letting herself fall softly up against Vicky’s body.

Vicky reached down to click off the vibrator and gently removed it before helping Alex step out of the harness. “That was…”

“Amazing,” Alex finished. She picked Vicky up, leaving the harness behind for now, and walked her back to the bedroom, throwing her down on the mattress before flopping down next to her, still panting and out of breath.

They lay side-by-side for a few minutes, holding hands but too hot and sweaty to curl into one another yet.

“I should get blackout drunk more often. I make excellent decisions.”

“Wrong. You should text me more often because I help you make excellent purchases.”

“That’s probably better advice.”

“It definitely is.”

They both giggled and relaxed into each other. After a few minutes, Vicky turned to Alex. “You’re good with all of this right?”

“I’m happy if that’s what you’re asking.”

“And you’re okay with us just being friends?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure if I would be at first, but I am. I just feel comfortable with you. But I know that if you found someone, I’d be so happy for you. I mean, it’d suck to lose the great sex, but at least now I have a drawer full of toys to pleasure myself with.”

“Same for you, ya know. When Maggie comes to her senses, I’ll be right there, cheering you on. And of course, I’ll be sure to remind her that if she breaks your heart, I’ll be the first to come after her.”

“You might have to get in line behind Kara.”

“I’m sure we could coordinate.”

“Probably… So, dinner?”

“I thought you’d never ask!”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long, action/plot-heavy chapter with more character development for Cat and Lena, plus some Winn and Hank :)  
> Hope you enjoy!

By Monday, Alex was barely even nervous about seeing Maggie for lunch. Sure, she still had a crush on the dimpled woman, but she had come to terms with the situation, with the fact that Maggie only like her as a friend. She could be okay with that, because she liked Maggie as a friend too. And she had other friends. And she was still having sex—mind-blowing sex with beautiful women, or rather, one beautiful woman, who was also her friend and who was still trying to help set her up with Maggie. It was a bit complicated and unconventional, sure, but compared to The L Word, her love life was a goddam breeze.

They sat at their usual table, ordered their usual lunches, and sank into a somewhat unusual silence. For once, Alex wasn’t the one who felt awkward; she had embraced the situation, embraced the slightly uneven nature of their romantic entanglements at this point in time. But Maggie, she was stuck in her own head. Because Maggie knew that she had to keep Alex away from her, but Maggie also desperately needed Alex to be a part of her life.

Finally, Alex broke the ice and asked Maggie what she had done that weekend. “Oh, I Skyped with the family back home. Ran some errands. Saw this girl Erika.” The last one was a lie. She had cancelled on Erika again, finally admitting that she just wasn’t available right now. But it was better if Alex thought that Maggie was seeing other people; then she would move on, which was exactly what Maggie wanted her to do…sort of. “Pretty boring. What about you?”

Determined to show Maggie that she wasn’t hung up on her and could be her “friend” without any emotional hangups, Alex smiled and said, “Oh, I hung out with Vicky on Saturday, then Sunday was just getting stuff together for classes and all my new faculty evals this week. I hope you just forgot to say that you were preparing for that meeting.”

“Of course, Danvers. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” But Maggie wasn’t focused on her impending evaluation. She was stuck on Vicky. And all the time Alex was spending with Vicky. Trying to sound interested—but only the level of interested that would be appropriate for a friend—Maggie asked, “What’d you and Vicky do? Anything fun?”

“Oh, a lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” Alex teased, sending a wink in Maggie’s direction.

Maggie choked on her drink. She was sure that she had built that relationship up in her head, that she was jealous over nothing. Never did she expect Alex to be so direct, to so quickly have fallen back into her old relationship with Vicky. She knew that they slept together that one time, but Alex had been so clear on it being a one-time thing, on it being cathartic and closure and all the things that you say if it’s only going to happen once. But here she was, suggesting that Vicky had remained in her life. In that way. “That’s, uh, great, Danvers! I didn’t know you two were together.”

“Oh,” Alex shook her head, “We’re not. We’re just friends.”

“My mistake. Sorry, I guess I just misunderstood you. I thought you were saying, no, nevermind. You were just making a joke.” Maggie realized how desperate she sounded and hoped Alex would let it go.

Alex noticed. She wondered if Kara and Vicky were right about Maggie, if Maggie really did have feelings for her that she just wouldn’t admit to because she thought Alex was too new to the game or whatever it was. So Alex decided to be uncharacteristically forward. “What’s an orgasm or ten between friends, right?”

She knew she didn’t imagine Maggie’s reaction this time. The woman’s eyes went wide and her face went ashen. She cleared her throat a few times, looking anywhere but up at Alex. “That’s, yeah, so proud of you. Look at you, getting back in the game. Yeah, really great.”

Alex decided to push just slightly harder, determined to get Maggie to notice her, to see that if she wanted Alex, Alex was right here, ready. “Well, once I realized I had so overstepped with you, that I had, you know, really misread the situation and what you were saying, I figured I should stop pining after someone who so clearly didn’t see me like that and go find someone who did.”

“So that’s what Vicky is? Someone who does see you…like that?”

“Well, she’s attractive. And she finds me attractive. But we’re not dating, no.”

“Right, right. Alright, well, Danvers, it’s been great, but I really need to go. Gotta get ready for that eval, right?”

Alex thought this sounded suspiciously like her exit the other day and suddenly felt guilty. “Maggie, wait! We’re good, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I just really do need to go.”

Alex suspected that wasn’t the truth, but she wouldn’t push it. She knew what it felt like to be on the other side of this conversation, and the last thing she had wanted then was to crack in front of Maggie. So she watched her leave, wondering what it would take for Maggie to come back and admit that she felt something too.

\---

The week passed by uneventfully enough. Alex completed all of her new faculty evaluations: all of them passed with flying colors, even though Winn seemed decidedly more flustered when he realized Alex was in the room than he had been during the first half of class when Alex was sitting behind a rather tall student athlete.

By Friday night, Alex was ready to relax during her rescheduled sister night with Kara. But Kara still hadn’t shown up at 7:30—half an hour late. No text messages; no phone calls. Alex turned on the news, looking for any developing stories about fires or accidents or earthquakes, but saw nothing. At this point she started pacing her apartment. She sent a text message to Winn asking if he had seen Kara. He quickly responded that he had not, but told her to let him know if she needed his help. By 8 o’clock, Alex knew something was wrong. She hesitated, but finally gave in, pressing call.

“Hello?”

“Hank, it’s Alex.”

“This is an odd time for you to be calling, Alex. Don’t you normally like to relax, leave work behind on the weekends?”

“Yes, sir, but…remember what you told me when you first hired me?” Of course he did. “Well, we have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Supergirl is missing. No answers anywhere. I’ve tried tracing her phone, and it’s been off the grid since 4:00, well before Cat Grant lets her have that device off.”

His voice taking on an even more serious tone, Hank asked, “What can I do?”

“Meet me in my lab. And, sir, if it’s okay, can I call in Winn?”

“It’s why I let you hire him, Danvers.”

“Right, sir.”

As soon as Alex got off the phone, she called Winn.

“Alex? Have you heard news about Kara?”

“No. That’s why I’m calling. Can you meet me in my lab?”

“Of course. When?”

“As soon as you can get there.”

Winn heard the urgency and fear in her voice. He knew that Supergirl had gotten into situations before where Alex had needed to step in and help, but he hadn’t seen her this nervous in a long time.

Within twenty minutes, Hank, Alex, and Winn were gathered in Alex’s lab. When Winn looked at Alex with a panicked look, motioning to Hank, wondering how they were going to talk about Supergirl in front of him, Alex just sighed, explaining, “He knows. It’s part of why I’m here. Why you’re here. We need him.”

Winn had raised his eyebrows; as far as he was concerned, Professor Henshaw was smart, but his work really didn’t have anything to do with aliens.

“Winn, just trust me. He has…inside information.” Alex had only recently found out that Hank was really J’onn J’onzz, the last son of Mars, and didn’t want to out him to anyone else before he was ready.

“So, Alex, what do we know?” Hank asked, ready to shift the conversation away from him and back to their priority: a missing Supergirl.

“Well, sir, a couple of months ago, Kara brought me a sample of some orange substance she found in an alien nest. She just wanted to know what it might do in case she encountered the species again, but she told me it wasn’t urgent and to wait until I had free time. Over the past few weeks, she’s found that substance a few more times. But there are no more of that species to be found. They have the only one registered from Fort Rozz in containment and, to our best knowledge, no more are in existence on this planet. So Kara asked me to make this my top research priority. I’ve been trying to run analyses of the substance, but it wasn’t until last week that I found anything of use. It’s specifically targeting proteins that are only found in two alien species known to us: Kryptonians and Daxamites. We don’t believe any Daxamites survived the collapse of their planet, though we have plenty of information about the species from the records Kara and Kal-El brought with them. But that means it’s a substance that has been manufactured specifically to target Kyrptonians.”

“Any idea what it does?” Hank asked.

“I’m not sure yet. When I try to run tests, it’s as though it temporarily alters my equipment; I get gibberish results or error messages. It’s like it’s some kind of high-tech goop. But without any accurate tests, I don’t know what we’re even protecting Kara from.”

“Can I help?” Winn asked.

“I don’t know,” Alex admitted. “But I thought maybe you could, which is why I brought you here.”

Winn hid the smile that spread across his face at hearing what amounted to high praise coming from Alex. “Well, have you looked to see if it emits any kind of radioactive signature? If it does, we could scan the city, see where else it’s coming from. If it’s being made by people who are after Kara, they’ve got to have some large stores of it that are emitting a really distinctive signature.”

“I’m glad Alex recommended you, Mr. Schott. Do you need any sort of equipment to do this?” Winn gave Hank a list, and Hank disappeared with a promise to be back in just a few minutes.

“Kara will be okay, right?” Winn asked.

“She has to be.”

\---

Half an hour later, Winn was hard at work with the equipment Hank had brought back to him, and Alex was pacing her lab, muttering obscenities to herself as experiment after experiment failed.

Seeing that Alex was growing increasingly frustrated, Hank interrupted her, “Do we have any leads on who might be behind this attack?”

“Too many people, sir.” An idea occurred to her. “Do you think Cat Grant is still in her office? Since Kara’s phone went off the grid at 4, she might be our best bet at knowing where Kara was at that time.”

“Good idea. And, if I’m being honest, I don’t think she ever leaves her office. I’m sure you’ll find her there.”

Alex took a deep breath; she wasn’t looking forward to storming Cat Grant’s office at 9 at night, but she was willing to do whatever it took to find Kara. Pulling on her jacket, Alex jogged across campus to the administrative building and took the elevator up to the fourth floor. Looking around, she was happy to see a light still shining at the back of the office. Making her way through the maze of desks and whiteboards, Alex finally got to Cat’s office. She saw the Dean, sitting in her chair but turned away from the door. She was looking out the window across campus, a tumbler half-full of some amber-colored liquid in her hand.

“Are you going to stand there for a little longer, or are you going to say something already?” Cat asked, still facing away from Alex.

Startled, Alex responded, “Oh, sorry. Uh, I don’t know if you know me, but I’m Alex Danvers, Kara’s older sister. Also a professor in the Biology Department.”

“Another one of you?”

“What?”

“Nothing. So what do you need from the Dean,” she looked down at her watch, “at 9 o’clock on a Friday?”

“I’m very sorry, Dean Grant, but it’s urgent. I need to know where Kara was supposed to be at 4pm today.”

“Why would you need to know that information?”

“I really can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

“Does this have to do with Kara’s being Supergirl?”

Alex spluttered, “What? No. No. Kara isn’t Supergirl. Why would you say that?”

“I have eyes, dear. And a brain. I did not make it this far by failing to notice the obvious. And the obvious is that Kara disappears whenever there is an emergency requiring Supergirl’s attention. That Kara is so desperately passionate about alien amnesty and scholarships for young aliens in this country. That Kara has managed to avoid every cold, flu, and germ that passes through these walls taking out all but one member of my staff each year. And, let us not forget, that if you take off the glasses and let down her hair, the damn girl is her twin. So please, let us not underestimate my intelligence. Now tell me, what sort of trouble is Supergirl in?”

“She’s missing. But before I say anything more, I need you to swear to me,” Alex stepped forward threateningly, “that you will not reveal her identity to anyone. I might be a faculty member under your employ, but if any harm befalls that girl's head, if any one person mentions that you so much as breathed a suggestion that Kara might be Supergirl, you will find that I have talents that far outreach those listed on my academic CV.”

“Yes, the threats are very well and good—quite the familial resemblance between you and Supergirl now. I understand that you feel the need to play the overprotective big sister who will threaten me within an inch of my life before you go on. And, don’t get me wrong, it’s a very becoming look on you. But that’s not the priority right now.”

Alex couldn’t help a blush from sweeping across her face as she stammered slightly. Cat Grant might be a little older, but the woman was still beautiful. Her clothing was the height of class, but it also revealed that the woman had kept her figure toned over the years, showing almost no signs of aging.

Cat smirked. “I see that something else runs in the family as well.” Alex quirked an eyebrow. “She’ll get around to telling you when she figures it out, don’t worry.”

Still confused, Alex decided this conversation could wait. “Well, Kara’s phone has been off the grid since 4, and I doubt very much that you simply gave her the afternoon off to relax. So I need to know what her schedule was.”

Cat turned to her computer and pulled up her staff calendar. “Kara left here around 3:30 for a meeting with Lena Luthor at 4:00.”

“Lena,” Alex growled. She spun on her heels and was out the door before Cat could say another word.

Storming back into her lab, Alex yelled, “It’s another fucking Luthor. I knew none of them could ever overcome their xenophobic family origins. Kara, she had a meeting with Lena at 4:00—right when she suddenly became unavailable.” Alex was pacing around the lab as she ranted. But she suddenly became rather calm, which scared Winn more. She unlocked a nondescript cabinet in the back of her lab, pulling out a few rather large weapons and strapping them into thigh holsters that seemed to have been pulled out of a military movie.

Hank put a hand out in front of Alex. “Stop. You need to take a deep breath. You will never get to Lena Luthor outfitted with enough weaponry to kill a small private security force. Just keep your phone and leave the weapons with me. Know that I’m only one call away if anything happens. Perhaps Kara never even made it to L-Corp.”

Alex doubted it, but she nodded, handing over her weapons except a knife she had tucked into her belt. Hank continued to hold his hand out until she relented, shoving the sheathed knife into his hand. “You had better hope that I don’t get attacked, or you’ll be very sorry you made me leave all of these behind.”

“I would be sorry if you got attacked regardless of whether or not you were armed. But I know you can defend yourself. And I know that I can be there faster than humanly possible,” Hank added with a wink.

\---

One very fast motorcycle ride later, Alex was in front of the large L-Corp building, ready to take down the last of the Luthors. She remained calm as she went through security, flashing the fake FBI badge Hank had given her, only allowing her rage to build as she took the elevator all the way up to the top floor where Lena’s office was located. When she exited the elevator, she was confronted with a very similar scene to that which she had found when she went looking for Cat. Alone at the back of an empty floor was one lit office. Only this time, Alex had no hesitation about storming into the office and demanding information. Alex strode quickly across the floor, pushing open the glass door.

Lena spun her chair around and looked Alex up and down. “Can I help you?”

“Give me one reason not to throw you up against your desk right now.”

“Well, you’ll find that you achieve better results if you offer me a drink first.”

Alex sped across the room and had Lena pinned back in her chair in no time. “I mean it. Start talking.”

“You’ll need to be more specific.”

“My sister. You saw her last. Now tell me where she is.”

“I did not see your sister, actually.”

Alex cut Lena off, “You did. You were her 4 o’clock today, which is precisely when Kara was last seen. Digitally speaking. So you’re going to start talking. Now.”

“If you would kindly remove your hands from my chair, I can show you the emails I sent to Kara, asking where she was. She never showed up for our meeting. In fact, I was rather surprised. Kara is always quite prompt, so I sent my first email as early as 4:05.”

Alex growled, “Just because you have emails doesn’t mean you didn’t do anything to her.”

“Why, might I ask, do you think I would want to kidnap Kara?”

Alex paused. She hadn’t thought about what to say in response. She had assumed there would be some sort of fight, not this oddly tense discussion. “You’re a Luthor; you tell me.”

“Excuse me, I am a Luthor by adoption only. And even so, that doesn’t give me any sort of motive. My brother was a psychopath. My mother was a crazed scientist. I am merely a successful CEO with an unfortunate last name. Besides, why would I possibly want to harm Kara? She’s one of my only…friends in National City.”

“Well then, if you want to prove you have nothing to hide, help me find her.”

Lena cocked her head to the side. She didn’t quite understand this woman. “How shall I do that?”

“You have more than enough money and resources. If you say that you care about Kara, then prove it.”

Lena considered Alex’s offer. She certainly wasn’t one to cave to demands like this, but at the same time, if she could help Kara, she wanted to do anything in her power. The young woman was like a ray of sunshine and eternal optimism, which would normally annoy Lena to no end, but somehow seemed endearing when it was Kara. The idea that someone might have kidnapped her made Lena’s blood boil. “Fine. But I will not be treated as your suspect, got it?”

Alex grunted, not willing to give Lena her full agreement but also unwilling to face Hank’s wrath if she came back empty-handed. When they got downstairs, Lena nodded to the security guard that she was okay and followed Alex outside. “I have my driver around the corner—”

“No drivers.” Alex might be willing to let Lena prove her innocence, but that didn’t mean she trusted the woman.

“Well then how do you plan on getting back to wherever you’re taking me?”

Alex gestured over to her motorcycle. “Get on the back.”

“I haven’t been on a motorcycle since the 2008 Pride Parade. Mother had a fit when she saw the photos.”

“What were you doing at Pride? And why were there motorcycles?” Alex asked, as she straddled her bike.

“Wait, have you not been to the parade?” Alex shook her head. “Well, the first group to go is the Dykes on Bikes. They’re all very sexy in their tight pants and black leather.” Lena paused for a second, assessing Alex’s outfit of tight black jeans with black leather boots and a black leather jacket, fighting back a smirk. “But on the back they’ve got topless women who wave rainbow flags or something like that. Long story short, I was one of those women once.”

So many thoughts swirled around Alex’s head. The first was wonderment at how and why she had never been to one of these magical-sounding parades. The second was whether Maggie might be a part of this group, along with the accompanying pang of jealousy as she thought about the half-naked women who might have clung to her during the parade. But the thought that she vocalized, though she hadn’t meant to, was: “You’re gay?”

“Very,” Lena laughed. “You didn’t notice?” Alex shrugged. “Do you think your sister knows?”

“I don’t know. I doubt that she’d care. She doesn’t mind that I’m gay.”

Lena said nothing. She didn’t see any reason why Kara would have minded…she had her own suspicions about the cheery blonde, but she shouldn’t be the one to say anything to Alex. Instead, she clung tightly to Alex’s back as Alex revved her motorcycle and took off down the street. Lena had missed the thrill of holding onto a woman this tightly. When she took over as head of L-Corp, she was forced to become much more discreet about all of her dealings—sexual and otherwise—and her schedule as CEO left her little time to meet anyone, let alone sustain a relationship. But Kara had waltzed into her life, full of 1950s pleasantries, sunny smiles, and pastel cardigans, and somehow Lena had learned to make time for another person. Sure, she could write it off as L-Corp philanthropy, but she also found herself sending the girl more personal texts, asking her to charity events that she would never have attended otherwise. Of course, she reminded herself, she was not currently clinging onto Kara, but her older sister. She had to admit that Alex was sexy—diametrically opposed to Kara, but sexy nonetheless. She had an edge about her; Lena wondered how much of the world Alex had fought to hide from her little sister, how much hatred and fear Alex had taken on to protect Kara. She suspected it was more than the woman would ever admit, and that she would do it all over again without hesitation.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in the parking garage of National City University. Alex pulled out her phone, instructing Lena not to move, and called Hank. “I have Lena here. She claims Kara never showed up for their meeting. To prove her innocence she’s offered her assistance.” After a few seconds, Alex nodded, “Yes, sir. We’ll meet you there.” She motioned for Lena to follow her, “We’re meeting a few people in an office up in my Department, come on.”

While they were walking out of the garage, Alex heard a man’s voice yell out, “Who’s there?” Suspecting the worst, Alex pushed Lena behind her and moved them behind a large SUV.

“Stay here,” Alex whispered, as she edged out, wishing she still had any of her weapons. She caught sight of a burly man in all black edging around the corner, ready to walk down the aisle where they were hidden. He had a weapon drawn, but he appeared to be working alone. Alex motioned for Lena to be absolutely silent, as they crouched in the dark shadows under the back of the car. Alex watched as the man’s boots began walking down the aisle. Her heart raced, but she knew that she had trained for moments like this with Kara. She just wished that she had anything to protect herself with, rather than a woman to protect. When the man edged past the SUV, looking the other direction to check behind him, Alex acted on instinct, running up from behind and sweeping his legs out from under him, wrenching the weapon from his hands while he was flailing to try to stay upright. Within moments, Alex hand the man on his stomach, his own gun held between his shoulder blades with her knee pressed firmly into his lower back.

“Well, well,” a voice rang out in the dark, “You really do have skills not listed on your CV.”

“Cat?” Alex asked, keeping most of her attention trained on the would-be assassin.

“Yes,” she drawled, “And thank you for attacking my security guard. I’ll be sure to mention it in his next performance review.”

“Your security guard?”

“Yes, Alex. When you’ve done as many things as I have, you’re bound to make enemies along the way.”

“Ah,” Alex sighed, releasing the man from underneath her and handing him back his gun.

Cat looked more amused than anything else. It had been rather impressive to see Alex take down the large man, though she would never admit it. She fought differently than Kara. Where Supergirl was all about impressive shows of superhuman strength and speed, Alex knew her limits and fought to exploit the weaknesses of her attackers. It was more…visceral, physical. It thrilled Cat in a way she didn’t care to explain. “Well, have you found S—”

Cutting Cat off before she revealed her sister’s identity in front of Lena, Alex called out, “No, we haven’t yet found Kara. But I have Lena here with me; she’s offered to help, since Kara never made it to their meeting.”

Extracting herself from behind the car, Lena straightened up, smoothing out her dress. “Nice to see you again, Cat.”

“Wish it were in less…interesting circumstances, but the pleasure is all mine.”

“Well,” Alex began, “if we’ve finished with the pleasantries, I really do need to get Lena back to the Bio Department so we can resume the hunt for Kara.”

Cat wondered why on earth Lena had agreed to help, but figured if Alex could take out her 250-pound armed bodyguard in mere seconds, she could probably intimidate even Lena Luthor into bending over backwards for her sister. “Well, seeing as she’s my employee and now that I’ll need to give my guard here at least a few minutes to recover lest I violate some labor law or another, I may as well come with you to see what assistance I might provide.”

Alex arched her eyebrow. She never knew Cat to offer assistance and wondered what had inspired this act of kindness, but she didn’t question it. “Well then, let’s go.”

\---

Crowded around a set of monitors in Winn’s office, the group was an odd sight. Winn, clearly having taken Alex’s instructions to come immediately quite literally, was still wearing his Dr. Who sweat pants with a ratty old MIT t-shirt that he had from undergrad. Hank stood back from the group a bit, wearing a black polo with black pants and pacing around the perimeter of the room, looking over at Winn’s progress every so often. Alex drummed her fingers anxiously on the back of Winn’s chair, aware that she was probably annoying him but too anxious to care. And Lena and Cat, both dressed in head-to-toe designer attire complete with heels that seemed too high and thin to be practical, stood a pace away from the action, though both monitored the situation closely, caring more for the missing blonde than the others could possibly realize.

“So what exactly is Witt doing?”

“Winn,” Alex emphasized, “is trying to trace a substance…” Alex trailed off, trying to figure out what she could say in front of Lena. Her presence was proving to be more of a hindrance than a help. She tried a new approach, “Okay, Lena, you have resources. What can you offer?”

“Well, we have security cameras that monitor all of the blocks surrounding L-Corp. We could scan them during the time prior to our scheduled meeting to see if Kara shows up.

Alex hated to admit that Lena had a good idea, but she nodded in assent, leading Lena over to another computer. “Can you access the security footage remotely?”

“If I can log in to an external server, then I should be able to, yes.”

“Great, do you need Winn’s help?”

Lena arched a sculpted eyebrow. “I run a billion-dollar tech firm. I think I’ll be okay.” And sure enough, within minutes Lena had eight different feeds open. “What time do you want to start with?”

“Let’s try 3:30. It’s too early, but at least we know we won’t miss anything that way. Can you make the feeds larger and distribute them across these three monitors?” Lena nodded, distributing the feeds across the monitors. Alex called out to the rest of the group to come assist. “Winn, you keep doing your own work. Hank, you take the far right monitor’s two feeds. I’ll take the far left. And Cat and Lena, you take the three feeds left on the center monitor.”

Lena hit play. For the first fifteen minutes, they saw no traces of Kara. They noticed a few odd individuals, but no one who would seem suspicious if they weren’t out looking for something that seemed out of the ordinary. Around the 3:48 mark, though, Lena called out, “There! She’s going into the coffee shop across the street from the office. They waited a couple of minutes before Kara emerged with two coffees. “Aww, she was bringing me one too. That’s so sweet.”

Alex and Cat both glanced between them at the sudden display of warmth from Lena. Lena just shrugged, refusing to make eye contact with Alex. They turned back to the monitors, just in time to see Kara jump from one feed to the next. As she walked past the alleyway next to the coffee shop, she looked down it as if she heard a noise. She started to walk into the alley, peering around. Lena shook her head, why did the girl seem to go looking for trouble? This is what the police were for. What Supergirl was for. A second later, a large blue spark seemed to erupt in the alleyway and two men appeared. Kara hugged one of them and shook the other’s hand. They chatted for a few seconds—unfortunately the tapes had no audio—before Kara jumped back into another blue spark.

“What the fuck? Winn! Can you get over here and analyze this?”

Winn ran over, and Lena rewound the tapes so he could watch it from the beginning. “Oh! It’s Barry!”

“Who?” Alex asked.

“The Flash!”

“Who?” Alex repeated.

“He’s from another universe.”

Lena interrupted him. “Wait so the multiverse is true?”

“Yes! And guess what? In some universes, Hillary Clinton was elected president back in 2008. And 2016? Obama.”

“Take me there!” Alex, Lena, and Cat all cried out in unison, making Winn look slightly frightened and amused.

“Okay, but that’s not the point right now, Winn. Who is this Flash?”

“He’s a superhero, but in another universe. While you were out on travel with Hank, he showed up and helped Supergirl defeat a villain or two.”

“Okay, that’s great. But why did he kidnap Kara?” Lena asked.

Alex and Hank looked at each other. They only had this information because of Lena, and if they didn’t tell her, she would probably continue to watch the tapes and find proof of Kara’s real identity soon enough…

Cat, having watched the silent conversation happening between Alex and Hank, finally interjected. “Lena, picture the damn girl. Now picture Supergirl. Subtract or add the glasses. Same with the hair going up and down. What do you see?”

“Oh…wow. Supergirl. Huh.”

Alex stepped forward, “And if you tell one person,”

Cat interrupted Alex, “Allow me. Lena, dear, we’ve known each other for many years. I remember what happened on New Year’s Eve 2010. And I saw who you were with at the white party down at the Hamptons in 2011. And I could list so many more places and times and people, but you get the idea. But if you let slip any part of this secret or if your name or company is attached to another alien-identifying or –attacking device ever again, I guarantee you that you will be begging Alex to come hide your body where no one will ever find it. Because it will still be better than dealing with the fallout of all I could reveal.”

Lena gulped and nodded. Winn looked like he might cry. Alex found herself incredibly turned on. Maybe she never had a professor crush that she wanted to act on, but she might just have developed a serious dean crush, and one that she didn’t mind entertaining thoughts of acting on. Cat looked over at her and seemed to guess what she was thinking, smirking at Alex’s darkened eyes and slightly parted lips before sending a wink in her direction and turning back to the screen.

“So what do we know about this Flash man? Is he the run-of-the-mill grocery store pervert his name makes him out to be?”

“No!” Winn shouted a bit defensively. He had really take a liking to Barry while he was in this universe; they had bonded over a love of science and Dr. Who, and Winn had been sad to see him go. “When he left, Kara promised him that if his universe was ever in need of assistance, she’d be happy to come help him. It looks like he finally called in that favor, which would also explain why her phone is completely untraceable. It literally disappeared from our universe.”

“So, how do we get her back?” Alex asked.

“We can’t. Unless you can go as fast as Kara and The Flash combined, we’re not going to be able to rip open a portal.”

“That is unacceptable,” Lena snapped. Everyone looked at her, shocked to hear the fear that seemed to infuse her outburst. She turned to Winn and began proposing various ideas for how to generate that type of force artificially in the lab.

Alex tuned in and out of the conversation, her head spinning with worry. She was nervous enough about Kara battling aliens on this earth where she could see her and help her. Now she had to panic about Kara being lost in a whole other universe? She popped back into the conversation in time to hear Hank giving instructions: “Winn, set up that alert so that we’ll be pinged as soon as Kara returns to our universe. Lena, give me a list of the materials you think you might need. Then you and Winn work together to try to create a portal. I know it’ll take time, but even if Kara returns before you’re done, it would be good to have a way of reaching other universes in the future.”

“And me?” Alex asked.

“Go home and get some rest. There’s nothing you can do for now. Same with you, Dean Grant. I appreciate all that both of you have done, but for now we’re playing a waiting game.”

Alex and Cat’s protests were ignored as Hank ushered them out of his lab. “Well, I assume you won’t be sleeping either?” Cat asked.

“Not a chance.”

“Care to sit up and worry pointlessly together, then?”

Alex looked over at the Dean. She supposed the woman already knew all of her biggest secrets; there wasn’t much left to hide. “Sure. Where to?”

After Cat vetoed every bar Alex named, and Alex vetoed the two Cat suggested, both of which would cost her at least a month’s pay if she wanted to get drunk, they decided to go to Alex’s simply on the off chance that Kara would choose that apartment as her destination when she returned.

When they got to Alex’s motorcycle, Cat sighed. “It’s been many years since I’ve been on one of these…”

“You too?” Alex cried out. She wondered if she was the only woman at NCU who hadn’t been in a Pride Parade.

“Me too what?”

“You also rode with the Dykes on Bikes?”

Cat laughed, then laughed some more. “No, my dear. Just a motorcycle. Same as yours. But I appreciate the suggestion. I needed the laugh.”

Alex blushed and muttered out an apology, “Sorry, didn’t mean to imply…”

Cat interjected, “I didn’t say anything about the implications. But to get to where I am requires a degree of self-control. Staying out of the public eye, except in highly controlled settings. Straddling a leather-clad woman without a shirt on is hardly my idea of politically wise behavior.”

Alex let out a bark of a laugh. “Well, keep your top on and hold on tight. I promise to get you home before the cameras catch you.”

\---

Sitting together in Alex’s apartment, the two women drank in silence. They had made an exception to the no publicity rule when Alex insisted that they stop at a liquor store unless they wanted to split the single bottle of beer that was somehow all she had left in her fridge. Cat conceded and insisted on paying; she had expensive taste. Which was how Alex found herself sipping bourbon that cost more than her leather jacket. In her apartment. With Dean Grant. It certainly wasn’t how she thought her Friday night would go, but she found she didn’t mind.

“Why do you insist on calling her Kiera to her face?”

“And here I thought we could enjoy the silence.”

“I’m serious. She does everything for you and asks nothing in return. I know you know her name. Hell, you even knew she was Supergirl.”

“Of course I know her name, but you’ve put your finger on it, now, haven’t you? She asks for nothing in return. She needs to ask for it. Demand it. As a woman in this world, she will never be offered the same things a man will. She won’t have the easy access of a golf course or a sweat lodge or even a whiskey bar. She will need to fight tooth and nail for every little step she takes. And what better place to start than by insisting upon her individuality, her name.”

“She does notice when you call her Kara, you know...”

“I imagine she does. She’s very bright. She’ll go far once she learns to rely on herself a bit more. Or at least, to rely on herself as Kara Danvers, trusting that Kara is just as significant and capable as Supergirl ever will be.”

Alex begrudgingly found herself impressed. She almost wished she had Cat Grant as a personal mentor. In the end, she preferred Hank’s quiet, removed style, but Cat was inspiring and fiercely loyal to those she deemed worthy.

“My turn,” Kat began. “What’s it like growing up with a real live superhero for a sister?”

“Kara’s great. She’s my best friend.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Alex shrugged. “It was hard at the beginning. I had lived for 16 years as an only child, and suddenly I had to protect this weird alien and act like she was my sister. I wasn’t _un_ popular, but I certainly wasn’t cool enough to survive a blow like that. I really only had one friend who stuck with me through all of it. But we got closer over her first year with us. I realized she was as lost and lonely as any teenager feels, but worse. She had lost her whole world. And now, we’re best friends. I love her just like I imagine a sister would. Having to deal with the rather unflattering comparisons my mother draws between us? Well, that’s not Kara’s fault.”

Cat raised her glass in a toast: “To mothers who remind us we will never be enough and inspire us to keep fighting just to spite them”

Alex clinked glasses with Cat and finished the last sip of her drink. Cat stood up to refill their glasses. “So bad even the reminder of her has you grabbing for the bourbon?” Alex asked.

“Worse.”

Alex laughed, knowing that feeling all too well. Cat settled back into the couch, removing her shoes and tucking her feet delicately underneath her. “So, that short biology professor with the dimples who came crashing through my office demanding to see Kara early last week. Was she coming for Supergirl-related reasons or for you?”

Alex wondered how Cat did that—seemed to pull memories out of thin air that someone of her rank should never have even noticed. “That would be for me. Let me apologize for her. She was worried.”

“Worried enough to storm the office of her boss’ boss’ boss?”

“I suppose so.”

“Now what could you have done that would inspire such loyal recklessness?”

“Honest answer? Not showing up for work for the first time since I started at NCU.”

“Not one sick or personal day? A woman after my own heart.” Alex blushed in spite of herself. “So what life-threatening illness had you contracted that led you to stay home?”

“Uh,” Alex debated how much she should say; Cat was very much her superior.

As if reading Alex’s mind, Cat added, “Let us pretend, for this evening only, that I am not your boss. And when we see each other again in a professional capacity, we will act as though we do not know these sorts of intimate details. You do not know that my mother drives me to drink. I do not know a dimpled brunette made you take a sick day for the first time in years.”

“I didn't say that.”

“But it’s true. I haven’t been wrong since I lost that election-night bet to Lois in 2004. At least I bet on the right side of history…”

“In a way, yes,” Alex conceded. “I wasn’t in quite the mental state needed to face three sections of college students.”

“So who is she?”

“Her name is Maggie—”

“No. Who is she to you?”

“Ah. She’s a friend.”

“Haven’t I heard that one before.”

“Well, no, that’s the whole thing. She wants to be friends. I misread some signals and thought she wanted more. She shot me down. I drank everything I could find in my house and binge watched lesbian soap operas for 48 hours before dragging myself back to school and throwing myself into my work with renewed energy.”

“Always the diligent employee,” Cat smirked. “But you’re telling me that the woman who blustered her way past more than one round of assistants and secretaries to find your sister to make sure that nothing was wrong with you when you took one single sick day only likes you as a friend?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Have you heard of the lighthouse technique?”

“Wasn’t it on Oprah or something? Make them come to you?”

“Yes, something to that effect. Shine your light and they’ll come to you.”

“I’ve already been doing that. I talk about someone else, and she looks jealous. I spend less time with her, and she comes running. I tell her I can’t be friends, and she begs me to stay, tells me she doesn’t want imagine the rest of her life without me in it.”

“Yes, so you’re not just friends. I assume you’re smart enough to see that. But I also need you to ignore the lighthouse method. It’s ceased to be helpful. You’re both too stubborn for it to work. Now is the time for bold gestures and direct statements.”

“Yeah, those didn’t work out so well for me last time”

“Then continue to wait and let’s see how well that goes for you.”

The two lapsed into silence again, both trying to avoid letting their minds dwell on Kara and what type of threats she might be facing in an alternate universe.

Over the next few hours as late night turned into early morning, the women spoke occasionally, but for the most part they just enjoyed having someone else there to keep them grounded even in the panic. Around 5am, Alex’s head finally fell back, her eyes falling shut heavily as the combination of alcohol, sleep deprivation, and stress finally claimed her. Her steady breathing soon lulled Cat into an uneasy sleep as well, and her head fell down to rest on Alex’s shoulder, her empty glass lolling precariously in her hand.

A little after 8, a portal ripped open in Alex’s living room, and Kara emerged unscathed and grinning with excitement from her adventure. The sound of footfalls pulled Alex from her slumber, and she blinked rapidly, trying to get the sleep from her eyes. Cat, who had unconsciously wrapped her arms around Alex, quickly disentangled herself, though not before Kara caught a glimpse of the pair.

“Kiera! What the hell?”

“You scared us half to death, Kara!”

Seeing two of the women she most looked up to glaring at her with such venom, Kara shrunk back and stammered, “Barry, he um,” she looked at Cat, who she still assumed was none the wiser about her secret, “he just need a friend to help him. And I have, you know, some talents.”

“And lying is not one of them, Kiera. Or should I say, Supergirl.” Kara gasped, but Alex just shook her head; it wasn’t worth denying it.

“Well, um, he had helped me, so when he showed up saying that they really needed help over on his world, I didn’t hesitate.”

“Kara! No texts, no calls, no emails? What were you thinking? You have a whole group of people worrying about you, trying to engineer a force in the lab big enough to rip open an interdimensional portal!”

“Who’s doing that?” Kara couldn’t help her curiosity, even though she knew that the experiment wasn’t the point right now.

“Winn and Lena.”

“Lena?” Kara asked incredulously.

“We had to tell her.”

“After big sister here nearly killed her, then took her hostage to help find you.”

Kara was stunned. “So wait, what? Oh my gosh, I missed my meeting with her! I need to go apologize.”

Alex opened her mouth, but Cat was faster. “Perhaps you should start with an apology to me for leaving work early. That can serve as a warm up for the amount of groveling you will clearly have to do to make this up to her.”

“Right.” Kara at least had the decency to hide her excitement about her adventures and look contrite. “I really am sorry, Dean Grant. They told me it couldn’t wait, but I should have at least sent some sort of notice. And Alex,” Kara began, looking up at her big sister through thick lashes as she attempted to pull one of her famous pouts, “please forgive me. You know there is no one who matters more to me, and I don’t ever want to disappoint you. But you know that as Supergirl, I need to help when someone is in danger. And Barry and those guys? They don’t have aliens on their planet, and they desperately needed someone. You should have seen them training! They needed someone like you there.”

The attempt at flattery did not go unnoticed by Alex, but she just nodded. Kara approached her tentatively, but when Alex didn’t move away, Kara wrapped her in a near-bone-crushing hug. “You smell like a bar.”

Cat interjected, “A very expensive bar.” She stood up to stretch, feeling as though she were the outside observer to an intimate moment.

Seeing Cat’s movement, Alex extracted herself from the hug, wiping away the small tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes, and extended a hand to the older woman. “Thank you for everything today. It means a lot to see that you care.”

Cat nodded, determined to leave before she let any emotion show, but Kara, at hearing that Cat cared for her too, launched herself at the petite blonde, enveloping her in a large hug that was, thankfully, softer than the one she had given Alex.

Clearing her throat, Cat said, “This is all very nice, but I’m sure you’ll have a line of visitors waiting to welcome you back to National City. I assume I’m not the only one who received the alert that Kara’s phone had reentered our universe. Alex looked down and saw that she too had received the notification, though she had been too busy with the actual Kara to care about her digital footprint. With a nod and a small smile, Cat excused herself.

Now alone, Alex gave Kara a distinctly more threatening look than she had earlier. “You leave again with no word, and I will lock you up in a kryptonite-infused lead room.”

“Trying to ground me?”

“It would certainly be more effective than the like two times dad ever tried to punish you when you were new here, little Miss Perfect!”

“It’s not my fault I never did anything wrong.”

“It’s not your fault that mom never thought you could do anything wrong.” Alex rolled her eyes. “I need to make a few calls to let everyone know you’re safe. She called Hank first. “Hank? … Yeah, we have her. She’s safe, if stupid. … Yes, Winn, I promise, she really is back.” She held the phone away from her head, motioning for Kara to come answer the phone.

Kara held it to her ear, asking, “Hello?” After a pause, a smile swept across her face, “Love you too, Winn. I promise I’m really back. … Yes, we can go all over the differences between universes next time I see you.” Kara nodded at the phone at the next thing Winn said, passing Alex’s phone back to her before pulling out her own and dialing a number at superspeed. Alex heard Hank come back on the line and went back to hear what he said, though listening to Kara long enough to hear that she was speaking to Lena in a more contrite voice that she had heard yet that day. Kara made her way out onto the balcony, sliding the door shut before Alex could hear what she was saying.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and cuteness and oblivious Alex! I feel like everyone could use a little more of that in their lives right about now

The weekend passed in a blur, as Kara hung around, attempting to make her disappearing act up to Alex by bringing her all of her favorite foods from across the country and staying with her for sister marathons. Once they had caught up on all of the shows they watched together, Kara surprised Alex by asking her what she had been watching, saying that she wanted to do whatever Alex wanted to do.

Alex knew it would only last another day or two; once Kara saved the city again, she’d be able to go back to not feeling so guilty. Alex shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ve been watching The L Word, but it’s so dramatic.”

She started to list a few lighter comedies that she’d been meaning to check out, but Kara surprised her, cutting in, “I like The L Word!”

“Really?” She wondered if there was something else with the same title. “You know I’m talking about a show, right? It’s not some rom-com about love.”

It was Kara’s turn to blush slightly. “Yeah, I know. I just, I haven’t seen much of it. I saw an episode or two with Lena.” Alex arched her eyebrow. She wondered just how much Kara knew about Lena. “I was over her house to do an interview for our big donor profile thing. And I showed up an hour early by mistake—I had been in another time zone helping Kal-El and got confused—and found her watching the show.”

“That a habit of yours?” Kara shook her head, uncertain as to what Alex meant. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Alex was glad that Lena apparently had the self-control to simply watch the show without doing something stupid like kissing a friend or getting plastered.

“Anyway, we did the interview early, but since she still had free time carved out in her schedule, she asked if I wanted to stay for a while. It was cute! I like how they’re all such good friends.”

Alex wasn’t sure about much of anything anymore. She wondered if straight people watched shows like The L Word. She supposed that she watched a lot of shows with straight people in them. “Alright, I guess we can do that.”

“Great! Where did you leave off?” Kara seemed overly enthusiastic about watching the show, but Alex chalked it up to her desperation to make Alex forgive her faster.

Alex tried to think back to when she had last been watching it. She groaned as she half-remembered that it was the night she had texted Vicky drunk off her ass. “I don’t recall exactly…if you open Netflix, I’m sure it’ll just tell you.” There was no reason to get into it with Kara.

The episode opened with a scene of Pride. Alex vaguely recalled that Dana and Alice had started dating, but she was unclear on what she might have missed. During the sign on song, she cleared her throat and asked, “Have you ever been?”

“To LA?”

“No. To, um, Pride?”

“No, but it looks like fun. I thought maybe this summer I would go as Supergirl. You know, show my support! Plus, if that bar was any sign, they seem to love me too.”

Alex though that there was also a very specific lesbian in Kara’s life who seemed to like her a bit too much for comfort, but she kept quiet. “Well, be careful. You know the tabloids would love any chance to out Supergirl. And I don’t just mean her secret identity.”

“And so what if she is?” Kara challenged, gasping and covering her mouth when she realized what she had said.

Alex, so convinced that her little sister couldn’t have meant anything by the comment, just shook her head. “Well, it’d be a bit odd if only one half of Supergirl was gay.”

Kara just nodded her head but stayed quiet, returning her attention to the screen. The sisters cringed together when Dana’s little brother walked in on her and Alice—both of them trying to forget about certain moments from their past, though Alex was very grateful that her day with Vicky had gone uninterrupted. Alex delighted in scenes from the parade, wondering if National City’s would be just like it. She resolved to ask Maggie and Vicky, sure that both of them had been to plenty, though, she figured, Maggie had probably only been in Gotham.

Alex scoffed at Dana’s little brother’s antics, annoyed at how he was leading on all of those men after what a shit he had been to Dana when she was trying to come out to her parents.

“Why are you making all of those disapproving noises at him?” Kara asked.

Pausing the show, Alex responded, “Because he’s an annoying straight boy.”

“How do you know he’s straight?”

“Because he just is. And he was so awful when Dana was trying to come out to her parents.”

“I think you’re overlooking some real signs here.”

Alex scoffed. “Just because you had your suspicions about me doesn’t make you the expert on gay culture.”

“But maybe it suggests you’re a little oblivious,” Kara teased. In a more serious tone she asked, “Speaking of which…have you talked to Eliza?”

“Oh yes, we had one of our delightful ‘you’ll never be as good and perfect and wonderful as Kara’ calls just last weekend.”

“Alex…” Kara warned. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Have I told her, ‘Hey! Guess what? Here’s another area of my life where I will never be as perfect and up to your standards as Kara’? No. Not looking forward to it.”

“Eliza isn’t as bad as you make her out to be.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“I thought you were doing better since last Thanksgiving.”

“I don’t know. I mean, sometimes. But over the phone it’s just so easy for her to nag. And if I tell her I’m gay and still single, I can just hear it now: ‘So now you’ve gone through men and woman, and you’re still single.’ No thanks.”

Kara shrugged. “You felt better when you told me.”

“Yes, but that’s because we share everything. I always want you to be a part of my life, no matter what that life looks like.”

Kara gave a small smile, but shifted uncomfortably, turning the show back on. By the time Howie came out to his big sister and asked her to come out to their parents for him, Alex just sighed. “Fine, I give. You were right about him. But also, I was too. He’s still a little shit.”

When Alex went to turn off the show, Kara stopped her. “No! No, you like the show. We should keep watching.” Alex narrowed her eyes, but she wouldn’t object. It was slightly easier to follow the show while sober.

By the season 2 finale, though, Alex wished she didn’t have her full attention on the screen. “Why does everything have to go wrong on this show?” She texted pretty much the same message to Maggie, hoping that some innocuous messaging would help them get back to friendship.

Her phone buzzed: “Just looked up to remember what has happened. Brace yourself. It’s not over yet.”

“What?!?” Alex sent back. “How is there more that can happen?”

“You’ll see. If you need a friendly shoulder to cry on…”

“Wanna come watch?”

Maggie debated, twirling her phone around before finally taking a deep breath and hitting send. “Sure.”

“Hey,” Alex started, pausing the episode. “Maggie, she um, she’s going to come over and watch with us. If that’s okay.”

“Oh, of course! Here, I can leave!”

“No, no! She’s just a friend. It’ll be…nice to have you here. I know I’m getting over my crush, but still. Nice to have a sisterly buffer to keep me on my best behavior.”

“Of course. And to glare at her, right?”

“Kara,” Alex warned, though she secretly loved how protective her little sister could be, even if almost no one knew what a real threat she could be. “Play nice.”

“I’ll be as nice as she is to you.”

“Do you want to run and get our food before Maggie can get here? That way we don’t have to wait for delivery like most normal humans?”

“Good idea!” Kara exclaimed. In a second, she was calling in an order large enough to feed a football team at the Chinese restaurant across town that she claimed had better potstickers than anywhere else.

Once Kara had left, Alex ran to the bathroom, washing her face and running a brush through her hair. On a whim, she also changed her bra, throwing the ratty sports bra she had been wearing since Kara’s disappearance into the hamper and pulling on a push up bra that she had to admit created a nice silhouette. With a little deodorant and a fresh shirt, Alex finally felt prepared to see Maggie. As friends, of course.

A few seconds later, Kara tumbled through her balcony door, holding multiple bags of take out.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Someone just maybe saw me. With all of this food. But I went extra fast after that so that I’d just be a blur. No need for everyone to start asking if Supergirl is pregnant, eating for two and all that.”

Alex laughed. “You already eat for ten!”

As they were unloading the food, they heard a knock at the door. “Play nice, I mean it,” Alex warned.

“Her heart is racing,” Kara noted, trying and failing to look innocent. “Just in case you were interested.” Alex shook her head, striding across the apartment to the door. Right before she opened it, Kara called in a low, sing-song voice, “So is yours…”

Shooting death glares back at Kara while she undid the locks, Alex quickly shifted back to all smiles as she let Maggie into the apartment. “Hey!” she exclaimed, giving Maggie an awkward side hug. “You remember Kara?”

“Little Danvers, how could I forget?”

Kara nodded curtly at Maggie, “Maggie.”

Maggie’s lips twitched. She wondered how much Kara knew about her. From what she remembered Alex saying about their relationship, she assumed everything. Pulling the bag out from behind her back, Maggie held out a large platter of homemade brownies as a peace offering, pleased to see Kara’s expression soften significantly.

Once they had their plates loaded with food, Maggie asked, “So where did you leave off?”

Kara quickly chimed in, “We’re two or three episodes into the third season!”

The group quickly settled in, enjoying the food as they watched the drama play out in front of them. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, Maggie thought. She had worried it might be weird to watch a show that had plenty of nudity and sex in it with the little sister Alex had described as being such a prude, but Kara seemed to be handling herself just fine. In fact, she seemed to be rather enjoying the show, even if she sometimes enjoyed it with beet-red cheeks. Maggie wondered about the younger Danvers, but said nothing.

Before long, they were at the scene in the senator’s house when she tries to seduce Bette. “Okay pause,” Maggie called out, “Would you do it?”

“Do what?” Alex asked, casting a warning glance at Maggie and gesturing toward Kara.

“Would you go to bed with the senator?” Maggie thought her wording was quite polite.

Alex shrugged her shoulders, unwilling to answer in front of her little sister, but Kara chimed in: “She’s so pretty and powerful, I’d totally want to. But Bette needs to prove that she won’t cheat on Tina again!”

“Even though Tina is cheating on her?” Maggie asked.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Kara responded.

Alex sat there, mouth hanging open, still in shock that Kara had dared to even answer such a question. She hit play, unwilling to listen to anymore of this conversation. They spent the next hour or so in relative silence, making minimal comments about the show. When Cherie Jaffe came back on screen, though, Maggie remembered what came next. She wondered if she should try to clear little Danvers out of the room for a few minutes. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to Alex. “Sex scene coming! And sex that’ll shock even you!”

Alex, however, seemed oblivious to Maggie’s exaggerated texting motions, her phone still on silent, tucked into her back pocket. Before long, Shane was outside of Cherie’s house, and Maggie knew there was nothing she could do but wait and cringe. The two sisters both watched the scene with wide eyes, Alex biting her lip when it became clear what was going to happen. When Shane started to fuck Cherie with a strap on, Maggie expected Alex to startle. She did not expect Alex to let out a small, nearly undetectable (though she certainly detected it) whine, though Kara’s response—jumping over the back of the couch, as Alex turned nearly purple with embarrassment—was more predictable.

Trying to help ease the tension, Maggie yelled out loud enough to mask the sounds of the show, “I’m hungry! Little Danvers, on your way back from the bathroom can you get the thing of brownies? They’re homemade and triple-fudge!”

The promise of triple-fudge was enough to make Kara smile again, and the credits were soon rolling.

While Kara was in the bathroom, Maggie whispered to Alex, “I tried to warn you! Check your damn phone, Danvers. Who texts all the way up above their chest unless they’re trying to catch your attention?”

Alex looked down at her phone, seeing Maggie’s text now. Before she could think to stop herself, she asked, “What was shocking about it?”

Maggie’s jaw dropped. “You! Already?” She dropped her voice even lower, though Alex was painfully aware that Kara could hear every word and prayed that Maggie would continue to speak this ambiguously. “Who has fucked you with a strap on?” No such luck.

Annoyed about Maggie’s assumptions and wickedly curious to see Maggie’s reaction, Alex demurred, “And who is to say that I was the one being fucked?”

Now it was Maggie’s turn to splutter. “Wha…I, uh, brownies, yep. I’ll go. Eating. Good.”

Alex, however, was distracted by the rather loud crashing noise she heard coming from the bathroom after her taunts. Great, she thought, Kara had been listening in. Served her right, though, eavesdropping like that.

A few minutes later, they settled back into the couch, all very determined to look only at the brownies and the screen as they purposefully avoided eye contact with each other until the awkwardness of the past few minutes dissipated over the course of a distinctly un-sexy and rather tense episode. None of them had ever been happier to see relationships imploding and cancer developing than they were in that moment. Soon, however, the reality of Dana’s situation kicked in, but all three found themselves unwilling to be the ones to stop the show. Alex knew that even if she sent Kara and Maggie home, she would just end up watching alone, which seemed distinctly unpleasant. Meanwhile Maggie was desperate to get back to her old friendship with Alex, so she certainly didn’t want to leave any time soon. And Kara’s attention was still glued to the screen. Besides, she was enjoying the text exchange she’d been maintaining with Lena about the show, glad to have something outside of work to talk about that didn’t involve Lena continuing to berate her for doing something so dangerous as jumping into another universe.

When Dana died, Maggie looked over to see Kara in tears, her head resting on Alex’s shoulder as Alex wrapped a protective arm around her back. Maggie started to excuse herself, feeling a bit like the third wheel to a moment of sisterly bonding, but Alex grabbed her hand, pulling her back down to the couch and keeping their hands intertwined as she drew small circles with her thumb. Maggie had long since gotten over the shock of Dana’s death, but it was nice to experience it with friends, with people who genuinely cared for one another.

As the credits rolled on the episode, Kara was the first to speak. “How could they? Dana was so sweet! Alice was getting over her! There was no plot-based reason why this had to happen!”

“You’re preaching to the choir, hon,” Maggie responded, a sad smile playing on her lips. “It happens all the time, though. The dead lesbian is like her own stock character. Luckily people have finally started demanding better. Equal screen time and fewer tragic deaths. At least this one was on a show where there were plenty of other lesbians to take her place…”

“Oh my god, more lesbians die of breast cancer?” Kara yelled.

“No, no. But surprise shootings and stabbings and so many more…”

Kara looked stunned, but soon a look of resolve came over her face, and she declared, “If I ever have a TV show, I’m going to write a big happy ending where the lesbian gets the girl, and no one dies.”

“I can’t wait to see it, little Danvers.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another action-based chapter with a happy ending :)
> 
> I've still got about 6 more chapters that are totally written, but then I'll be writing/updating as often as I can. Will totally try to write any ideas you guys have for this fic as well (recognizing that it'll be another couple of chapters before you know where I've taken this)

Despite the emotional turmoil of binge-watching The L Word, Alex felt good about how her time with Maggie had gone. By Monday afternoon, she was ready to see her at lunch again and finally felt like they could get back into the friendship that had been developing so nicely before she noticed her own burgeoning feelings.

She ran into Maggie as she jogged down the department hallway, knocking papers out of the shorter woman’s arms and scattering them everywhere.

“Hey, you running away from our lunch date?”

“No!” Alex exclaimed, reaching down to help Maggie gather her papers. “I was actually just running so I wouldn’t be late for you. I needed to check on a test I had running in my lab before we leave.”

“Ah well, wouldn’t you know it? The week I’m ready early, Danvers is running behind.”

“Not behind…just not early.”

“I’m just kidding with you, it’s fine. Want some company? I don’t actually think I’ve been in your lab.”

Alex tried to think if she had left anything out on Friday night. She was fairly certain Hank would have made sure that nothing important was still exposed, so she nodded and motioned for Maggie to follow her. Maggie paused to stuff her papers into her bag, then ran after Alex, who had continued walking without her.

“So,” Maggie asked, “this is the great Danvers lab? The Department’s rising star, I think is what Henshaw called you?”

Alex blushed. “Yes, well, as you can see, it’s just your run of the mill lab. Nothing special here.”

“I would disagree,” a low voice rang out from behind Alex, as she heard the heavy lab door slam shut with a click.

She spun around, instinctively pushing Maggie behind her, in time to see two large men dressed in black body suits emerge from the shadows. “What do you want?” Alex growled, her voice masking the fear she felt as she fumbled in her jacket pocket, sending an SOS to Kara, praying her fingers had hit the right keys.

“You. Or at least something you have in your possession. Our boss is very interested in your research, Alexandra Danvers.”

“Your boss should have told you that there are better ways to hear about my research than having two masked men break into my lab. I’ll send him my conference schedule, perhaps he’ll make my next talk.”

“You talk too much. We’re here for the substance currently locked in that box,” the taller of the two instructed, pointing to the heavy lead safe where Alex was storing the odd orange substance she still hadn’t quite identified beyond a cursory understanding of its ability to target Kryptonians. Like her sister.

“Why?” Alex asked loudly, desperate to stall, feeling Maggie still braced behind her.

“So you really haven’t figured out what it does yet?”

“How about you enlighten me?”

The man who had been talking pulled a large weapon from his holster, pointing it behind Alex at Maggie. “No, I think you’ll just do as I say, actually.”

“Fine!” Alex yelled, surprised at the volume. “But you will not harm her or me. When I give you the sample, you’ll give me your weapon. I’ll let you leave, but you will leave peacefully. Understood?”

“You are braver than I expected.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” Alex began walking backwards, keeping Maggie safely behind her as she edged closer to the safe. Just as Alex held out a hand to the biometric scanner, she heard a loud crash as Supergirl took out the door, knocking over the smaller man in the process. The second attacker turned around, firing ineffective bullets at Supergirl, though the ricocheting bullets were bursting glass beakers and lab equipment, quickly filling the lab with debris. In the chaos Supergirl’s entrance had caused, Alex spun around, ripping open the large trunk in the back of the room where she still kept weapons in case of emergencies just like this one. She tossed a small handgun at Maggie, figuring if she had been a cop, she probably knew how to shoot. She grabbed a much larger weapon—something Maggie knew was not just given to civilians—as well as a second handgun.

Seeing the man pull out a glowing green knife that made Supergirl falter, just from its proximity, Alex aimed a shot from her smaller gun at his knee and pulled the trigger. She was happy to find that the man was human—or at least not bulletproof—as he crumpled to the ground. He turned to face them again, gun drawn and shooting before Supergirl ripped the weapon from his hands and tied his arms behind his back with an extension cord she had seen lying on the opposite side of the room. She kicked the kryptonite knife as far away from her as she could.

During the fight, the man under the door had managed to wrangle his own handgun out and began shooting chaotically, clearly still injured but trying to take out someone—anyone. Alex saw the barrel of the gun train on Maggie and lunged, pushing her out of the way just in time as a bullet whizzed by, barely grazing Maggie’s upper arm. In a flash, Supergirl had knocked the shooter unconscious and had him tied up as well.

As soon as Alex was sure that Supergirl had it taken care of, she swept Maggie up and put her down gently on one of her empty lab tables. She swept the hair out of Maggie’s eyes, asking her in a voice gentler than Maggie had ever heard it, “Are you okay? Maggie? It’s just a small abrasion. You’re okay. Tell me you’re okay. Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Maggie replied, trying to sit up. The effort sent a flash of hot pain through her upper arm and she fell back to the table, wincing.

“Okay, okay. You’ll be okay.”

“Kara!” Alex yelled, “Bring me the emergency medical kit from under the sink. Then call the cops for those two and make sure everyone out in the Department is okay.”

Supergirl rushed over with the medical kit, as well as all of the weapons she had stripped off the two criminals. “I had already evacuated the building—sorry, that’s why it took me so long to get here. I’ll go fly those two down to the precinct and call an ambulance for Maggie.”

“I’m okay, really,” Maggie offered.

“No you’re not,” Alex shot back. Supergirl was already out the window, dragging the two men in her arms. “Now be quiet while I examine you.” Alex pulled out rubbing alcohol to clean the wound. “This is going to sting for a second. You can hold onto me if you need.” Maggie winced at the pain, but tried to appear stoic. Alex pulled out a second wipe. “It will numb the area, make it feel a little better until we can get you proper painkillers.” Maggie just nodded, grateful for the relief. Finally, Alex pulled out a roll of gauze, making a thick pad, then wrapping it tightly around Maggie’s arm. “I’m going to keep my hand here too, just to make sure there’s plenty of pressure to stem the bleeding.”

“You not telling me about a second medical career, Danvers?”

“Clearly I just watch enough Grey’s Anatomy.” Maggie chuckled. “Once upon a time I was planning to be a doctor. I was pre-med through undergrad and did some work in a hospital. Just enough for basic first aid and maybe a little more. Not going to attempt to stitch you up or anything.”

“Small blessings,” Maggie murmured.

“You seem to be handling yourself well for someone who just got shot.”

“Try working as a cop in Gotham for a couple years. I’ve been through worse than a bullet that barely scratched me.” Alex bowed her head, not wanting to think about the kind of dangerous situations Maggie must have been in day in and day out, how close she had come to death, even today. “If you hadn’t pushed me out of the way…”

Alex shook her head. “You wouldn’t have even been in this situation if it weren’t for me.”

“Oh right, because you had invited those guys over and just forgot?”

“Still. I would never have been able to forgive myself.”

“And here I thought you didn’t care.”

Alex knew Maggie was just teasing, but she couldn’t stop her reply, “Of course I care. God, I care so much.”

Maggie gulped. Trying to diffuse the emotions that had sprung up around them, she cracked a smile and teased, “So…you call all your local superheroes Kara?”

“What? No. I called her Supergirl.”

“Except once,” Maggie winked.

Alex sighed and shook her head. “Excuse me if I was distracted by the bleeding woman on my lab floor.”

“S’alright, Danvers. I’m a detective; I detect. I should’ve seen the resemblance earlier, but I guess I wasn’t really looking for it.”

“Well, I suppose you know my big secret now.”

“Maybe some of them. But I still want to know why you’ve got a chest full of weapons and how you shouldered that bazooka like you’re military or something.”

“That’s a story for another day.”

“You going to tell me you’re the chosen one, the one born to each generation?”

Alex cocked her head to the side, unsure what Maggie was saying.

“It’s fine. We’ll do Buffy next. After today, I’m 100% sure that you’ll love it.”

“I’m just happy we’ll both have another day.”

“You getting soft on me, Danvers?”

Before Alex could answer, she saw the paramedics making their way through the rubble in the front half of her lab. She ran to meet them, explaining exactly what had happened and how she had treated it. One of the EMTs came over to check Maggie’s arm, confirming what Alex had suspected—the cut was shallow and had been properly cleaned. It could use a couple of stitches to help it heal faster, but nothing serious. They were even able to do it in campus med center, which was right next door, writing Maggie a prescription for a low dosage pain killer in case her arm made it too painful to sleep the first couple of nights. Hank sent Maggie home early, putting her in a cab and paying her fare in advance. “Please, go home and rest, Dr. Sawyer. Take tomorrow off too. Just be okay. Know that we’re all thinking about you.”

Maggie wondered how Alex was doing as she paced around her apartment, desperately trying to follow the doctor’s instructions to rest.

Alex spent her afternoon giving statements and running around the Department, checking in with Hank, Winn, and Kara multiple times. Winn confirmed that over the weekend he had been able to get a very low signature off of the sample and vowed to redouble his efforts to scan the city. A few hours later, Winn called Hank into his office, showing him an abnormally high reading in an abandoned warehouse down by the docks. A quick flyover by Supergirl revealed it to be staffed by only a few men—all human, non-alien combatants.

Figuring it would be best to stick to proper protocols, Hank called in the report to a high-ranking officer he trusted, Lucy Lane, explaining the situation and why it needed to be handled delicately. She promised that the substance would be confiscated and handed off to him to analyze and dispose of in a responsible way. After a successful raid, the local media broke the news about an anti-alien extremist group caught manufacturing radioactive substances meant to bring down National City’s hero, Supergirl. The reporters, with a bit of inside intelligence anonymously fed to them by Winn, had traced the funding back to a local real estate big-wig who everyone had assumed was all hot air but who had recently announced his plans to run for office and "clear the skies," throwing the "alien menaces” behind kryptonite-reinforced bars. Although his lawyers had him out within the hour, most of his men were locked up pending trial, and public opinion had quickly cemented, condemning him as a criminal even if he walked the streets a free man.

Once all of this had been sorted, Alex finally made her way home, exhausted even though it was only 8pm. She showered and threw on her comfiest pair of pajamas, wanting nothing more than to curl up and try to regroup before going back to work tomorrow. As she was looking through her fridge for anything comforting to eat, she heard a knock. After the day she’d had, she tensed, grabbing a kitchen knife as she made her way to the door. When she looked through the peephole, however, she was greeted with the smiling face of Maggie Sawyer.

“I come bearing pizza and beer!” the shorter woman called through the door.

Smiling, Alex swung open the door. “Please, come in. Ignore the knife. And the pajamas.”

“I think they’re cute.”

“It’s late, what’s up? Did something happen? Is it your arm? Do you need me to cover your classes?”

“No, Alex, no. I’m not here for work or injuries. I just, after the day I’ve had, I just really need to see you. To talk to you.”

“But you’re okay?” Alex asked, still more than a little concerned after the afternoon they’d had.

Maggie hesitated, “Um, well, here’s the thing. I almost died today.”

“No,” Alex scoffed, “I would not have let that happen.”

A smile swept across Maggie’s face. Of course she wouldn’t let that happen. Even though she wasn’t the bulletproof Danvers sister, she _would_ be the one to play the hero and save the girl. “I know that. But still, it got me thinking. I’ve been,” she hesitated, “stupid. I’ve been treating you like you don’t really know what you’re doing yet or like you’re so new to this whole being out thing that everything would seem so new and shiny to you, like you couldn’t see clearly. I assumed that you liked me because of what I stood for—you know, I was someone who was out and there, right in front of you—but I didn’t think you were seeing me clearly. All of the things wrong with me. All of the reasons everyone else leaves. But you’re still here, you know?”

Alex nodded, a bit confused about why Maggie was explaining her rejection.

“You’re still here,” Maggie repeated, “And that scares me. But life’s too short. And we should be who we are. And we should kiss the girls that we wanna kiss. And I really just, I, I wanna kiss you.” She looked at Alex who looked slightly stunned but cautiously hopeful. She tried again, “I just,” but soon gave up, moving her hand to the back of Alex’s neck and pulling her in for a kiss.

After a stunned moment, Alex kissed her back before pulling away. “So you’re saying you like me?” She gestured between them. “That’s, that’s what I got.”

Maggie laughed softly and smiled. “Of course. You’re not going to go crazy on me, are you?”

Smiling, Alex nodded, “Probably, yeah.” Then pulled Maggie back in.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So fluffy! Missing Sanvers on my screen
> 
> tw: mentions of alcohol abuse

A few minutes later, Maggie pulled away, panting slightly. “We should probably,” she motioned to the pizza sitting forgotten on the counter, “eat if we don’t want it to be ice cold.”

Alex licked her lips, looking like stopping to eat was the last thing she wanted to do right now, but she nodded, pulling down two plates and the bottle opener. “So what changed?” Alex asked. “Besides the life-threatening scrape on your arm?”

Maggie laughed. “What do you mean? I told myself to get over the fear, go out, and get the girl.”

“Yeah, you said that. But when…when did you decide you liked me?”

“Decide? Danvers, I’ve liked you since you first threatened me over a freaking mug.”

“But you pushed me away. Told me you didn’t want us to happen.”

“No, I said I didn’t want us to happen _like that_. Because I didn’t. I didn’t want to just make out with you on your couch and treat you like some kind of rebound. Those relationships never work out.”

“So you pushed me away because you liked me?”

“Yes. Because if I was going to get together with the woman who I couldn’t get out of my head, I didn’t want it to be because I was tipsy and sad and recently dumped. I wanted you to know that you were the person I chose to be with, no matter what the situation was.”

“That’s smooth, Sawyer.” Alex cupped her hand around Maggie’s jaw and drew her into a sweet kiss, both of them smiling into it.

“I’ve been known to have my moments. Of course, you had yours too. Sure know how to remind a girl what she’s missing out on.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh really? Casually dropping hints about all the sex you were having with Vicky. Wearing those tight jeans and leather jackets, which, I have to say, I imagine come from some never-ending supply that takes up your entire closet. Biting your lip every time a sexy woman comes on screen. Should I continue?”

“Obviously I did those all on purpose.” Alex nodded, trying and failing to hide a smile. “So you really did like me?”

“First of all, look at you. You’re gorgeous. But you’re also so smart and brave and intimidating as hell. Not that I was intimidated, of course, but in theory.”

“Can I kiss you again?” Alex figured that they had both eaten enough. Biting her lip, Maggie nodded. Alex grabbed her hand, dragging her over to the sofa. “I’ve got some memories here that I’d like to replace with better ones.”

Alex sat down on the arm of the couch, pulling Maggie into her. Maggie cradled Alex in her arms, loving the feeling of holding Alex close to her, feeling her heart beat against her chest. She had every intention of keeping the kiss sweet—appropriate for a first kiss. But then Alex let one of her hands wander up Maggie’s back and tangle in her long hair, pulling her in deeper. And when Maggie’s tongue finally teased the other woman’s mouth, Alex parted her lips, breathing a soft moan into the kiss. And Maggie lost some of the control she had been holding on to, her lips crashing desperately against Alex’s, her teeth dragging along Alex’s bottom lip, her hands roaming along Alex’s upper body, fingers dancing across the hem of her shirt, feeling teasing traces of the soft skin underneath.

As if driven by the same heat, Alex dragged Maggie around, pushing her down into a seated position on the couch. “You’re hurt,” she whispered in explanation. She swung one leg over Maggie’s lap, straddling her and moving back down to kiss her, hands cupping her face protectively, possessively.

“Are you okay with this?” Maggie asked. “I can take this slower. We can stop whenever.”

“We don’t have to do much more,” Alex rushed to say. “I just, I’ve wanted to do this for such a long time now. But if you’re not okay…”

“I’m more than okay.” And Maggie pulled Alex in close, letting her lips find Alex’s again.

As the kiss deepened, Alex felt her hips rolling into Maggie. Desperate to feel more of the woman underneath her, Alex moved her lips away, tracing kisses along Maggie’s jaw, then moving to her neck, trailing small kisses up and down the exposed skin. Maggie panted quietly, trying to remain calm. But when Alex lightly bit at her neck, when her tongue found her ear and she ran her teeth along the lobe, when Maggie could hear the noises Alex was making so close to her, her breath caught in her throat. Needing more of the redhead, she let her hands roam, slipping them under Alex’s shirt, though sticking to her back. She felt Alex’s muscles tense and relax, wondering how she had ever thought feeling them through a leather jacket on the back of a motorcycle would be enough. She tried to distract herself from the fact that Alex wasn’t wearing a bra, from the fact that if she moved her hands just slightly around, she would be touching Alex’s bare chest.

“Can this come off?” Alex was pulling at Maggie’s jacket, which she hadn’t taken off in her rush to tell Alex how she felt.

Maggie nodded. She felt tears sting her eyes when she saw how careful Alex was while maneuvering the jacket over her stitches. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so cared for, like she was a delicate object who needed to be protected, or who deserved to be protected, even if she was capable of doing it on her own.

“Do you have any pain?”

“Are we playing doctor now?” Maggie teased.

Alex blushed. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Right here? With you? I’m perfect.”

“You’re also cheesy as hell.” But she smiled and pulled Maggie back in for a kiss, as their hands continued roaming across each other’s torsos and arms, learning the feel of each other’s skin and the slope of their curves.

“Do you want this off?” Alex asked, feeling Maggie’s increasingly urgent attempts to feel more of her bare back with her hands.

“No, no, it’s fine. I just, it’s nice finally being here with you. But we should do this right. Take this slow.”

“It’s November. Haven’t we taken this slow enough?”

“You drive a hard bargain, Danvers. I just, I don’t want to mess this up with you. I want this to work between us.”

“I do too, Mags. But I also don’t think that your seeing me topless is going to doom our future.” Blushing suddenly, she added in a slightly quieter voice, “Besides, maybe I’d like yours to come off too…if you’re okay with that, of course.”

Maggie smiled, her dimples on full display. “I’m okay with that. I’m more than okay with that. But before we do anything more than that, I want to take you on a proper date.”

Alex nodded eagerly before moving her arms to the hem of Maggie’s shirt. “Let me know if this hurts, okay?” She gingerly lifted it up and over Maggie’s head, guiding her injured arm slowly out of the fabric, careful not to let it get caught on the tape around the gauze. “Wow.” Alex looked down at Maggie, appreciating the toned stomach and arms, the expanses of light brown skin. She saw the small scar across her ribs, resolving to ask about it another day. She tried not to let her gaze linger too long on the woman’s chest, but she appreciated the view, even blocked as it was by a simple blue bra.

Using her uninjured arm to lift Alex’s shirt up, Maggie tossed it to the floor, letting her eyes drink in the body she’d tried for so long to drive out of her thoughts, her dreams, her fantasies. There were a few bruises developing from the fight today, but they did nothing to detract from the woman’s beauty. Maggie let her hands play across the smattering of freckles that spanned Alex’s chest, tracing down Alex’s ribs and across a surprisingly toned stomach. With a quick look to make sure Alex was okay with it, she brought her hands up to feel Alex’s breasts, squeezing lightly as she let her fingertips dance around her nipples, gasping as she felt them harden beneath her touch.

“Can I?” Alex motioned to Maggie’s bra. With Maggie’s murmur of assent, Alex reached her hands around, actually getting the hooks undone on her first try, hiding her smile behind Maggie’s back as she carefully pulled the straps over her arms.

“Do I want to know how many times you’ve practiced that motion on Vicky to get so smooth?”

Alex blushed. “Beginner’s luck?”

“With bras? No such thing.”

“I feel like there’s a story here.”

“You’ve got my tits in front of your face, and you’re asking for my embarrassing moments like we’re in some slumber party movie?”

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some pretty wonderful experiences at slumber parties.”

Maggie pursed her lips and shot Alex what was supposed to be an annoyed glare, but ended up turning into a grin. “We weren’t all so lucky. Some of us got stuck with straight friends. Or straight friends who wanted to know what it was like to kiss a girl but got mad as soon as you used tongue.”

“I think the trick was to hang around the athletes.”

“Danvers, I prowled the field hockey tryouts like a goddam pro. No such luck. I mean, now, however many years out we are, some of them are posting pictures like, ‘So happy she said yes!’ But back then? Nah. Nebraska has a funny way of making people stay straight.”

Alex nodded her head appreciatively. And she was going to say something sweet, but then her eyes happened to catch sight of the very topless Maggie Sawyer in front of her. And she couldn’t help herself as she let her eyes drink in the sight. And she maybe could’ve helped it, but didn’t care to try. She bent down and kissed across Maggie’s chest, letting her tongue flick across her nipples, sucking them into her mouth when she felt Maggie’s hands tangle in her short hair and pull her in closer. Hearing Maggie’s moaning getting louder and louder and feeling the shorter woman’s hips bucking underneath her, Alex unthinkingly moved her lips lower, kissing down Maggie’s tensed abs and letting her tongue flick out, licking visible hipbones.

Maggie carefully but quickly pulled her up to eye level.

“Sorry,” Alex muttered, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

“Don’t apologize, Alex. It’s just, if I’m being honest, if you stay down there, I don’t know that I’ll be able to wait for our first date. And I owe that to you. To us. To this relationship.”

Alex nodded, pleased to hear that she could have that sort of effect on Maggie, especially since she could feel how uncomfortably wet she had become, damp cotton brushing against her inner thighs. She pulled herself off of Maggie, curling into her uninjured side. “So, I want to hear about this bra story.”

“Really? Still on about that?”

Alex fluttered her eyes and looked up, giving her best imitation of Kara’s signature pout (which she had totally learned from Alex, not that it gave her much in the way of immunity to Kara's version).

“Fine! Fine. But I want dessert first. I fed you pizza. What do you have here? Let me guess, one carton of ice cream with an empty container of milk?”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve been going grocery shopping. Not this weekend because there was…other stuff. But normally!” She fished around in her cupboards, pulling out ice cream and a few of the leftover brownies she had managed to pack up and hide before Kara devoured the rest. “How do sundaes sound?”

“Heavenly.”

\---

“Now that is a sight I could get used to,” Maggie smirked, running her tongue across her teeth as she watched Alex walk back to the couch, still topless, carrying two large bowls of ice cream topped with brownies.

Alex rolled her eyes. “If I had a free hand to flip you off right now, know that I would.”

“But of course,” Maggie said, reaching out to get her ice cream from Alex.

“And now, I don’t feel even a little bad about asking you to tell me about your very embarrassing first time.”

“Hey! You only said you wanted my story about taking a bra off, not having sex.”

“Right, right, nope, misspoke. Poor word choice.”

“Relax, Danvers. I’m teasing you. But, fine. It was junior year of high school, and I was out visiting some cousins who lived near Chicago. Quite the big city vibe for a country girl. One night, my cousin who was just a couple months older than me threw a party. It was fun. More vodka and fewer kegs than back home, but still, a high school party is a high school party.”

“Yeah…I didn’t really go to many of those. But I’ve seen movies and such.”

“Nerd,” Maggie teased. “Well, I see this very cute girl. And she looks like maybe she’s looking at me too, you know? And she’s got on some plaid when it’s not winter. I’m thinking maybe I could have fun out in Chicago. So I talk to her, ask if I can get her a drink, and she seems into it. We’re talking, flirting. Everything’s going well. And after a while, she points out that kids are starting to pair off. It wasn’t like some weird sex party or anything, but you know, people who came with dates want to enjoy the night away from their parents. And a few people just got lucky enough to meet someone from another school. So she tells me that she drove to the party and asks if I want to see her car. Of course I do. And so we go, we’re in the backseat kissing. And this is all fine and good, right? I’ve kissed girls before, even if they were straight girls just trying to impress a boy at a party. But then she tells me to take off her shirt. Step one: super easy. I can unbutton a shirt. And I assumed that was it. But then she starts teasing me, asking if I’ve never taken off a bra before.”

“Let me guess. You lie?”

“Of course I lie! So this thing is like lacey and frilly and shit. I’m drunk at this point, fumbling around in the backseat of this cramped little sedan. It’s dark out too, like I can barely see because of course we didn’t turn on the car and drain the battery. So I’m fumbling around, trying to pull at different things. Next thing I know, I’m tightening the straps or something because it was the closest thing I could feel to a hook. And she just starts laughing and laughing until finally she shows me that the stupid clasp is in the front. So that whole time, all I had to do was flick something open right in front of me.”

“Aww, so your first time was a total bust.”

“Nah, she still took off her bra.”

“Perv.”

“You like me.”

“I do.” Alex smiled, scrunching her nose up.

“Alright, now that I’ve embarrassed myself it’s your turn. Tell me a story.”

“I believe you were present at my most embarrassing story.”

“Trying to kiss someone who wanted nothing more than to throw you down on your couch but was trying to be chivalrous? Nah, definitely not embarrassing enough to meet my bra story.”

“Umm, Kara thought she walked in on me watching porn a few weeks ago.”

“Okay, but that’s still so not the same. So your sister made a mistake? You just correct her and move on.”

“Right…well…it wasn’t porn, but…it was still something…exciting.”

After a moment of confusion, a wicked grin lit up Maggie’s face. “Your little sister caught you masturbating?”

“Ugh, I hate that word!”

“But I like the thought of that—well, the part about you, at least.”

“Really?”

“Of course,” Maggie whispered, her voice dropping to a low purr that made Alex’s skin break out in goosebumps. But knowing better than to say anything more if they were to keep this night relatively chaste, Maggie let her curiosity get the best of her. “So what were you watching?”

“Uh, The L Word. It didn’t start out as the plan. I was watching the show anyway. But then I was also drinking and texting Vicky.”

“Ah, okay. Maybe I don’t need to hear all about whatever Vicky said to you that had you with your hands down your pants.”

“Right. But anyway, Kara shows up. Well, I guess now that you know her secret, this makes more sense. Sometimes she’ll just fly in through the balcony doors without bothering to call in advance. Since, well, normally it’s just me watching TV or something. Please no comments about the sad state of my life. But that night…at least I was fully clothed. She saw nothing, but I was definitely stammering and red, and there was definitely a frozen image of Candace on top of Bette on the screen still.”

Maggie let loose a loud, long laugh. But then she scrunched up her eyebrows in consideration. “Is there any chance Supergirl will be flying here today?”

“No, no, not tonight. She and Lena are out doing dinner or something.”

“So,” Maggie tested the waters, “they’re pretty close?”

“I don’t know, I guess so. They met through work, but Kara makes friends easily. Lena seemed to be pretty upset when she thought Kara had been hurt or kidnapped—long story, but she was fine. I guess Kara never treated her like she was a Luthor, like her last name meant something. Kara’s just a good person in that way.”

Maggie wondered if Alex had even considered possibilities beyond friendship. “Yeah, and I mean, Lena’s fine. I’ve actually met her before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…up in the gayborhood. Did you know she was a lesbian?” She assumed Lena wouldn’t mind her saying something to another queer woman.

“I didn’t at first, but she did mention it when I was driving her to my lab.”

“Okay, yeah. You think...?” Maggie’s question trailed off, leaving the implicit possibilities unnamed but still rather obvious, she thought.

“What? That she has a crush on Kara? No, I’m sure she doesn’t.”

Maggie was going to ask whether she thought Kara had a crush on Lena, but decided to drop it for now. She wanted to see the two interact before she outed Kara to her big sister.

“Okay, but your turn.”

“My turn for what?” Maggie asked.

“Another embarrassing story. It’s a good getting to know you game.”

“Well, I guess sort of similar to your story, I once sexted a coworker back at Gotham PD by mistake.”

“Oh my god! She didn’t turn you into HR, did she?”

“He actually. Which I think saved my ass. He knew right away it wasn’t meant for him…lots of the things I was describing weren’t exactly heterosexual. But work on Monday was more than a little awkward.”

“I can only imagine…”

“Your turn. Dish.”

“I’m trying to think!”

“You cannot have had only one bad moment.”

“No, but I’ve only slept with one woman!”

“So things went swimmingly with all the men?”

“Oh…I didn’t think about them. I was a little too drunk to remember most of those times. I mean, I did pass out on a guy once, but the cab driver got me home safely and alone. Oh, well I guess there was one guy—some college boyfriend who stuck around a little longer than most—it was my first time doing really anything beyond kissing.”

“With a guy?”

“Right. Vicky had already happened.”

“Lesbian.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, anyways, so you know, there it is. And I’m not really trying to do much with it. But he’s telling me I can touch it and all. So I get it over with as fast as I can.”

“You were so gay, you know that, right?”

“I’m aware. In retrospect… But anyway, when it, you know, happened…I was so unprepared for it that I squealed and jumped out of bed.”

Maggie laughed. “That’s embarrassing, though really not that bad, Danvers. I was expecting far worse.”

“Well…he had bunkbeds…and he was the top bunk.”

“Oh my god! Tell me you broke something.”

“Close to it. Luckily I caught myself pretty well, but we broke up a couple days later. I think that was the last time I was…uh, intimate with a guy while sober.”

Maggie wasn’t sure if this was the right time, but she figured she’d ask. “You staying sober a little more lately? You know, if you ever want to just hang out without alcohol, I’m down for that too. I know I brought beer today because, well, it was one of those days. But still, I want to be present when I’m with you.”

“I’m fine,” Alex snapped. Though she softened when she saw the concern in Maggie’s eyes. “I just, I know that I sometimes drink a little too much…a little too often. But sometimes things get to be overwhelming, you know? But when things are going well, it’s not as, well, I don’t really feel like I need to drink.”

“Of course, Al. And if you ever want to talk about it or talk to someone, that’s okay. I’ll be there. It’s really, well, it’s common in the LGBTQ community to want to rely on other substances. And sometimes that reliance gets to be a bit of a problem. I’m not trying to imply anything, but just know that I care about you, okay?”

“Yeah. And watch, see, I don’t even need to finish the beer I started.”

“That’s great, Alex.”

“Look, if I’m being honest, I know that I’ve had problems with drinking. I’ve gone to meetings and talked to people. But it’s less that I crave drinking or being drunk and more that it’s just something that’s easy and socially acceptable to do when I’m stressed. During grad school, right, having all the pressure of being Kara’s big sister while getting perfect grades and trying so hard to make myself feel something with a guy—it got to be too much. And so I would go out to try to blow off steam. But the clubs were full of guys, so I drank to try to get myself to feel something, anything when they told me how sexy I was and kissed me while we danced. But once Hank talked to me and showed me that there was value in me that wasn’t based on that stuff, that I personally meant something, could offer something with my work, it got a lot easier to drink less or not at all. Because I had something I was working toward _for me_. And yeah, this year, with getting rejected and digging up long-repressed memories, I had a few nights of drinking far more than I should have. But I promise that I know what alcoholism is, and I’m not going to let myself fall into a place where no one can reach me. How about this? I won’t drink until the semester ends, just to show you that I can and that really, it’s not that hard for me. I will ask for reprieve in advance for one day: Thanksgiving.”

“Hate turkey that much?”

“I wish. No, it’s my mother. Not that I hate her. But a nice glass of whiskey helps to take the edge off of her comparisons. And how would I ever compare with Supergirl.”

“How about this? You can have one drink. But that’s all.” Alex whined. “But,” Maggie continued, “if you’re good, when you come home, you can do anything you want to me.”

Alex’s eyes got wide, and she licked her lips. “Anything?”

“I mean…consent first. But you’ll find there’s not much I’m not willing to try once.”

“Wait a second! Aren’t you going to be out in Nebraska?”

“You think I’m going to spend over a grand on airfare to go home for a four-day weekend? I like seeing at least some of my family, but not that much.”

“Fine. Deal.”

“And you know I’ll be checking in with Kara on you, right?”

“She’ll be so pleased.” Alex rolled her eyes, already dreading the day, but willing to try for Maggie’s sake. And also because she was competitive enough to want to prove to Maggie that she was right about herself. Then that offer of anything she wanted…that just sweetened the deal. “You do realize that Thanksgiving isn’t this week, but the next, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess it is.”

“Still good with our deal?”

“I never go back on my word.” And Maggie had no desire to do so now.

After chatting for a little while longer, Maggie saw Alex try to stifle a yawn. Catching sight of the time, she startled. “It’s late, Danvers. I should let you get to bed. Unlike you, I have an excused absence tomorrow, but you’re in with the kiddies.”

A very sleepy Alex Danvers just burrowed further under Maggie’s arm. “Stay?”

“You sure you want that?”

Alex nodded, blushing faintly. “Only if you want, though. You could sleep out here if you don’t want to come in…I just worry about you getting home this late at night when you’re injured.”

“I’ll stay. But you tell me where you want me to sleep.”

“Do you, uh, do you want to sleep in bed with me? Just sleeping, of course.”

“That depends.” Alex cocked her head to the side. “Do you snore?”

Alex shook her head, laughing. “Never had any complaints. I’m going to brush my teeth. There’s an extra toothbrush somewhere in one of the bathroom drawers. And I’ll toss some sweatpants out for you too.”

Maggie moved to clean up the ice cream bowls that were still on the counter, quickly throwing out the trash and putting the leftover pizza in the fridge before heading to the bathroom to find that spare toothbrush.

Alex noticed Maggie struggling to get her shirt back on and moved to help her. “Do you need to clean your stitches or do anything with them?”

“Nope, just avoid water for the first 48 hours.”

“Okay, good. Well, do you, uh, want to come to bed?”

Rather than tease Alex again about what could be interpreted as a very forward suggestion, Maggie just nodded her head, grabbing Alex’s hand as she followed her into the bedroom. When they curled up together, Maggie wondered if everything with Alex was going to feel this right. And Alex quickly drifted off, feeling like curling under Maggie’s arm felt more like coming home than anything had in a long time.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanvers fluff :)
> 
> And thanks for all the comments! They made my night!

“It’s raining. I don’t want you going home on your motorcycle in the rain. Besides, you can’t get your stitches wet.”

“I’ll be fine!”

“I said no, Sawyer. You’re staying here.”

“What am I supposed to do all day?”

“My classes are over by noon. I’ll ask Hank for a half-day. After yesterday, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. Besides, I can’t exactly do any work in my lab today, now can I?”

“I suppose not.”

“Good. It’s settled; you’re staying here.”

“Already making sure I stay put in your apartment…this must be the fastest attempt at U-Hauling I’ve ever seen.”

“Shut up. Now go relax. You can go back to bed. There’s a TV. My Netflix account is already logged in if you want to watch anything. There really, honest to god, is food in the fridge if you get hungry. I made extra coffee. Um, I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but just let me know if you need anything.”

“Alex, it’s me. I’m a competent adult. You’re leaving me alone for like four hours. I think I’ll manage just fine.”

“Alright, alright.” Alex turned to leave, but Maggie caught her wrists, pulling her in for a chaste kiss before she left. “I could get used to that, you know. Maybe that U-Hauling idea isn’t the worst ever.”

“Next thing I know you’re gonna be pulling into the driveway in a Subaru with a backseat full of adopted kittens.”

“Goodbye, Maggie,” Alex drawled, leaving for work in a much better mood than she would have expected, given that half of her lab had been destroyed and her friend—now girlfriend—was shot just the day before.

\---

Alex had told her she could use her Netflix. So there really wasn’t anything wrong with what Maggie was doing. At least that’s what she told herself. She just wanted to know what types of things Alex watched when she was alone.

Plenty of documentaries, especially science and space ones. That made sense.

Xena. Always a classic.

The L Word. She already knew that.

Breaking Bad. Slightly unexpected. Same with Grey’s Anatomy, though she vaguely remembered Alex making a joke about the show the other day. 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Rec—all funny; good choices.

She pulled up Buffy, deciding to leave it open in case Alex wanted a break from the drama of The L Word when she got home.

She padded around the apartment, looking at the view from the balcony and admiring the few photographs Alex had displayed on bookshelves and end tables. Making her way into the kitchen, she decided to see how much shopping Alex had really been doing. She was shocked to find non-expired eggs and milk in the fridge, along with some vegetables, though a few of them might have seen better days. She thought about trying to cook something for lunch, but she wondered whether Alex would be okay with her using the kitchen without her permission. She decided to whip up cookie dough that she could leave in the fridge. That way she wasn’t risking a fire or anything with the oven, but could have something nice waiting for Alex after work. She shuddered at how domestic she sounded, but found that she was shuddering more at the sudden change in her attitude, because she really didn’t mind the idea of Alex coming back to her, of curling up on the couch with homemade cookies and waiting out the rain with reruns of 90s television.

Once she had finished the cookie dough and cleaned up all of the dishes she used, Maggie found herself with a full hour before Alex was due back. She was too restless to nap, and with her stitches she couldn’t even take a proper shower. She washed her face at least, hoping that she would look presentable. She decided to change back into her normal clothes, feeling as though it might look presumptuous if she stayed in Alex’s sweatpants, like she assumed she would be able to hang out for the rest of the afternoon and lounge around with Alex, who might have things she wanted to do today without Maggie hanging around.

Maggie folded the borrowed pants, then folded Alex’s pajamas as well, which she had left thrown across the bed. Trying to be helpful, Maggie pulled open a few drawers, trying to remember which one she had seen Alex open to retrieve pajamas. The first one she opened was full of pants—almost exclusively blue, black, and gray. The next one was a whole lot of workout clothing—no wonder she was in such good shape. Maggie wondered if the sweatpants might have come from there, but it looked like everything in this drawer was made of spandex.

Pulling open the third drawer, Maggie gasped and dropped the pile of clothing. She knew Alex made a comment during their L Word marathon, but she had not expected the sheer variety of sex toys she found. She also really hadn’t expected to find them in her dresser. Maggie knew hers were in her nightstand, though under the bed was always a strong contender. She quickly shut the drawer, refusing to let her curiosity get the better of her, though in her defense, she was a detective; it was kind of her thing. She assumed that Alex would share these things with her in due time. Or not. And that would be fine too. She stacked the folded clothes and left them on top of the dresser, hoping Alex wouldn’t worry. In an act of penance, she made the bed, military corners and all, just like her father had taught her. She traipsed back out into the living room, determined to avoid the temptation to see what exactly Alex had for herself, though her mind kept wandering back to the drawer, conjuring up images of what Alex might have used them for in the past and how she might use them with Maggie. She turned on an old NCIS rerun, determined to distract herself by pointing out all the flaws in their methods.

Right as Gibbs was finally closing in on the suspect, the door swung open and Alex called out to Maggie.

“Hey!” Maggie responded, jumping up from the couch and nearly jogging over to greet Alex. She leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “How was your day?”

“Well, I taught my upper-level seminar, then got to leave work early, and now an adorable woman is greeting me with a kiss in my apartment. I’d say it’s been very good. And how was yours? Get into any trouble?”

“No!” Maggie responded a bit too quickly. She tried to cover for herself, “I, uh, made cookie dough. I hope that was okay! I didn’t cook them yet. If you let the dough sit in the fridge for a while, it makes chewier cookies.”

Alex responded with a kiss. She never expected her life to look like this, like coming home to someone who cared enough to do something nice for her while she was out at work. Finally pulling away, she smiled and said, “They sound amazing. The department had a catered event today, so I stole a couple of sandwiches in case you’re hungry. I ate half of mine while pretending like I was going to stay at the lecture for more than ten minutes; they’re not bad.”

“You’re the best.” And Maggie meant it in a way she never thought she would. She pulled down two plates and let Alex distribute the sandwiches. “Do you have a cookie sheet? I can get them ready so they’ll be coming out of the oven right when we finish our sandwiches.”

“Right in that cabinet over there,” Alex gestured to the right of the oven. And nonstick spray is in the cabinet above the stove with all the oils. She went over and set the oven to preheat. She then pretended to help Maggie get the cookie sheets ready, really just stealing bites of cookie dough and ignoring Maggie’s warnings that she would get salmonella this way.

Once the cookies were in the oven and they had settled down with their sandwiches, Maggie asked, “I know we’re watching The L Word, but I was wondering if you would want to watch an episode or two of Buffy. It’s such a good rainy day show! And it’s made even better with cookies! Plus, you’ll get the joke I made the other day now.” Making sure to give Alex an out, she added, “But I also know how much work you have to do, so I can also just eat a couple cookies and head out. The rain should stop any minute now, and my jacket will keep my stitches dry.”

“Maggie, we spent longer stretches of time together when we were just friends. I think it’s okay for you to want to hang out and watch some TV with me. Besides, I’m in no mood to work on anything. I’ve never much liked the rain.”

“Get stuck out in it when you were little?”

Alex shrugged. “My dad used to hold me when it stormed and make it better. I was fine for a while, but now storms just remind me of him. Feel a little, I don’t know, lonely or something. It’s stupid.”

Maggie swept Alex into her arms. “It is not stupid, Alex. Nothing you could say or do would be stupid.”

“I bet money I could change your mind on that,” Alex laughed. But she was relieved that Maggie hadn’t teased her or tried to tell her that it was okay. She had just known what to do, to wrap her arms around Alex and let her have the moment she needed. But she was okay now. “It smells amazing in here. Are the cookies almost done?”

Maggie checked her phone timer. “Two more minutes.”

“What if I like mine a little undercooked?”

“Really? You’re one of those people?”

“That’s the best way to eat cookies. When they’re warm and melty and falling apart in your hands.”

“Fine, we’ll get a tray out for you now. I like mine crispy.”

“Ugh, you like the edges of brownies too, don’t you?”

“Why would you want a piece without an edge?”

“At least we’ll never fight over who gets which pieces…”

“Fair enough. I also hate purple and orange flavored candies of pretty much any and all kind,” Maggie called out while pulling the top tray out of the oven.

“Agreed on orange, so I guess we’ll just throw them out. But I’ll take your purples and trade you my reds.”

“Easy trade. Now here, come tell me if these are too undercooked even for your liking.”

“Nope, they’re perfect!”

“That’s just like burning-hot dough.”

“It’s hot enough that I can’t get salmonella, so you can’t complain. Plus, now they blend so much better in my ice cream.”

“Well my crispy cookies dunk better in milk. Yours would collapse from just gravity pulling them down.”

“Why would I want to dunk my cookies in milk? Ice cream is a thousand times better.”

They bickered playfully about the best ways to eat cookies and other desserts while they waited for Maggie’s cookies to brown or, as Maggie put it, cook thoroughly. Once Maggie was satisfied, they settled into the couch, and Maggie loaded the first episode of Buffy. “Fair warning: it’s a little cheesy, especially in the beginning. Season 1 is way better when you’re rewatching the show; the first time around it’s just okay. But if you trust me, stick it out. I promise the show gets really good, and it was pretty groundbreaking for the time.”

“Alright, alright. I trust you.”

Within a few episodes, Alex could see how it might become a good show, and even now it wasn’t bad, though it screamed 90s. “I bet Kara would like this show a lot. Another blonde woman out there fighting the good fight? She’d be into it.”

“Feel free to tell little Danvers I’m always up for binge watching with her if she decides to start.” Alex smiled at the woman sitting next to her. It warmed her heart to think of Maggie spending time with Kara, becoming a part of her family, though she didn’t want to say anything like that out loud yet.

They paused around episode four to clean up, which quickly turned into kissing, which quickly brought them back to the couch and into a horizontal position.

“I should let you go before it gets dark,” Alex admitted.

“Probably.”

“Is it weird that I don’t want you to go?”

“Nah, I feel the same way. But we should try to keep the mystery alive.”

Alex laughed. “Whatever you say.”

Sitting up, Maggie grabbed Alex’s hand. “Can I take you out on a proper date? Thursday night? Wear something nice.”

“I think I could agree to those terms.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“I should go.”

“You really should.” But neither of them made any moves for the door until a text from Kara grabbed Alex’s attention.

“Supergirl calling?”

“Not this time. Just Kara feeling bored.”

“Well then, let me leave you to it. I’m sure she’ll be on your balcony soon enough, and I assume you want to tell her without me here.”

“Probably better that way. Unless you want to receive a bone-crushing hug of congratulations and a litany of threats against your life in the same evening.”

“I’ll pass for now. Tell her to send my best to Lena!” Maggie teased. “Now I’m really leaving.” Alex helped her ease into her jacket and find her keys, pulling her in for one last kiss before she shut the door.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another sister moment between Alex and Kara, to be followed by a Sanvers-centric chapter later today in anticipation of the show's return!

Sure enough, a few minutes later Kara was on her balcony. “Hey, Alex!” she called out.

“Hi, Kara. Come on in.”

“Do I smell cookies? Fresh cookies?”

“Yes. Maggie made them too, so I promise, no food poisoning risks.”

“Yum!” Kara cried, piling a plate high with cookies. “Wait, why was Maggie here? Is she okay after Monday’s attack?”

“She’s fine,” Alex began. “Better than fine actually. She, um, she kissed me!”

“What?” Kara yelped in excitement. But then she remembered how broken up her sister had been and narrowed her eyes. “Was she kissing you as a friend? Was there some explanation? What are her intentions here?”

Alex wrapped her arms around Kara, loving how protective she was acting. “She told me that with the whole near-death experience, she realized how stupid she had been. She thought she didn’t deserve me or that I didn’t need to deal with her crap and should enjoy being out for the first time. But when she thought she might die, she had this adorable line about how we should be who we are and we should kiss the girls we want to kiss. And then she kissed me, Kara! Because _I_ am the girl she wants to kiss.”

“That’s amazing! Wait why isn’t she still here if that just happened? Shouldn’t you be celebrating? Did she leave on my account? I can go! Just let me grab some cookies for the road.”

“No, no! Leave the cookies. This happened yesterday after I got done dealing with all of the phone calls and paperwork and everything from the attempted robbery.”

“Oh! Okay.” Then Kara’s eyes narrowed again. “It smells like fresh cookies now. Today. Why was Maggie still in your apartment the next day? Do I need to have a chat with her about being a gentle…woman?”

“No, Kara,” Alex chuckled, “She just slept over because I kept her here forever talking and eating and kissing, but nothing more! Then it was dark and raining, and I didn’t want to send her home on a motorcycle with stitches at that hour.”

“Very chivalrous of you. But I’ll still be talking to her. Making sure she knows that if she so much as hurts your feelings, I will be all over her.”

“I’m sure she knows. I appreciate your concern, but go easy with the threats, okay? Not everyone has super-strength.”

“Intimidation is generally the idea in these conversations.”

“Kara,” Alex whined.

“Fine. But I’m talking to her in my Supergirl suit.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

Alex just shrugged, but she tried to change the topics, hoping to distract Kara from her plans to intimidate her…girlfriend? She wondered what the right term was. “How was your night with Lena?”

“Oh, it was, you know, it was fine,” Kara stammered.

Now it was Alex’s turn to look at Kara in confusion. “Why are you stuttering and blushing? You’re lying about something. A big sister always knows.”

Kara bit back a smirk. Clearly a big sister did not always know and could, in fact, be rather oblivious. “No, it’s just, I had wanted to go talk to her, to thank her for her help when she thought I had been kidnapped.”

“Okay…” Alex still didn’t think she was getting the full truth. “So what’d you do to thank her.”

There! Alex definitely wasn’t imagining the pink flush that crossed Kara’s cheeks.

“Oh, well, she had mentioned this one restaurant she really loves, but she hasn’t been back there in a while since it’s a bit of a hike, so I picked up a few things and brought them over. We had dinner. It was nice.”

“Where’d you go? Is it that little Italian place right outside of the city limits? I know it’s almost an hour ride, but I swear the garlic knots make it so worth it.”

“Now who’s obsessed with food?”

“You. Still you, Kara.” Kara shrugged. “So okay, you brought her Italian food. I mean, I guess that’s nice, a good way to say thanks for caring if I live or die…but why are you blushing?”

“Well, erm, that’s not her favorite place.”

“What is?”

“It’s a bit…further away. But she was so sweet to care about me and not even think about revealing my secret identity!”

“Kara,” Alex said, a low warning in her tone. “What are you suggesting?”

“It was just this little French bistro…in Paris.”

“You’re never willing to fly internationally for me!” Alex huffed before thinking harder about it. “Why do you care so much about whether Lena cared if you died? I mean, you missed a meeting with her. Of course she noticed. And other people cared too. What’s so special about her?”

“Everything,” Kara breathed out softly.

“What?”

Kara shook her head. She loved Alex dearly, but the girl could be so oblivious sometimes. “Well…you know when you told me about you a month or two ago? And I asked if it was about Maggie?”

Alex nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Well…maybe Lena makes me feel that way too.”

“Like…like you’re gay?” Alex asked, a wave of emotion hitting her.

“I don’t know that I’m gay, but I do know that I like her.”

“And you like her like that?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re definitely not just mistaking care and friendship for something more?”

“Jesus, Alex. How would you have reacted if I suggested your crush on Maggie was just a phase?”

“Sorry! No, it’s not that. It’s just…unexpected? I don’t know. You made me watch so many rom-coms and were so into different boys. Even James just this summer, you know? And I guess I’ve just never heard you talk about women, and I didn’t want you to get Lena’s hopes up, which is weird because I still don’t totally trust the woman even if she did want to help you. But I know she is gay and out and, well, I guess I just feel a little bit of loyalty to her for that. And I hurt Vicky so badly in high school because I wasn’t ready to be out and with her, you know? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply, or say, or, I don’t know. Just, I love you, Kara. No matter who you love. Even if she’s a Luthor.”

Kara swept Alex up in a tight hug. “I’m not ready to say I love her yet. But I’m ready to say I’m not straight. And yeah, I definitely still liked James and thought he was so cute! And so is Barry! But, I’m not sure, trying to date them? That just made it…different. Like, it was one thing to want to kiss them, but I couldn’t get the motivation to really try to make it work. But with Lena? I really, really want to.”

Satisfied that Kara really had thought about this—far more than she had the one afternoon she bounced over declaring that she needed to get bangs because she’d had seen a woman out on the street with them who just looked so good—and desperate to make up for her initial reaction, Alex reached behind them and grabbed a plate of cookies, plopping back down on the couch. “So tell me! Have you told her?”

Kara nodded.

“How did it go? Do you think she likes you back? Did she say? When was all this?”

“Last night. I showed up with the food, and she was really happy and told me how sweet it was and how no one has ever treated her like that, which is just crazy, you know! Because how could you not? Even though she can seem a little…intimidating, she’s a big softie on the inside, just like Dean Grant.”

“I’m sure they’d both love to hear you describing them like that.”

“Not the point. But we were talking over dinner, and she kept repeating how scared she was for me, how she saw the footage of me just disappearing and didn’t know what she would have done if I didn’t come back. And she seemed so nervous but in the cutest way. So I kissed her!”

Alex squealed—a sound she rarely made—and lightly hit her sister’s arm. “What did she do?”

“She kissed me back! And then she smiled and said something about how she hadn’t really known if that was something she’d ever get to do. And yeah, but it is. It definitely is.”

“That’s so great, Kara.”

“Thanks, Alex. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t happy for me.”

“I’m always happy for you if you’re happy. Unless you’re happy because you stole the last cookie. Or ate all of the brownie chunks out of the ice cream. Because then you’re just my annoying kid sister who will be flying out to the store and getting more with her own money.”

Kara grinned and stole the last cookie off the plate, flashing her sister a big smile before popping it in her mouth.

“Tricked you! There are more that I didn’t put out!”

“Not fair,” Kara mumbled through a mouth full of food.

Alex stuck her tongue out at Kara, thoroughly pleased with herself for having had the forethought to hide a few cookies for later. A few minutes later Alex looked up at Kara and batted her eyelashes, shooting her a big smile. “You know…I might tell you where I hid the rest of the cookies on one condition.”

“What’s that” Kara eyed Alex suspiciously.

“You, Ms. Golden Child, come out to mom first.”

“Not fair! You realized you were gay first. Plus, I still don’t know what word to use, so I totally need some more time. She’s getting here in one week; I won’t be ready yet. You’ve had months.”

“You know with me it’s going to be: Alex, you’re such a huge disappointment! Then you’ll tell her, and she’ll ask when the damn wedding is as soon as she finishes yelling at me for not telling her about you first.”

“That’s not fair to Eliza. She just still likes to make sure I know I’m loved even if I’m adopted.”

“Well, I think she’s overcompensated a bit.”

“Maybe. But she loves you too. Plus, I guarantee you she already knows.”

“Did you tell her?” Alex shot an accusing look at Kara.

“No! But you and Vicky had a lot of sleepovers. And I was at a friend’s house on prom night, but maybe you two weren’t as quiet as you thought you were…”

“Kara! I am shocked that you would let your mind wander through the gutters like that!”

“I meant talking! I assumed you talked about it! Ew, gross! Still my sister. But just, your room was literally next to Eliza’s. And your voice always carried through my wall when you were up on the phone talking to Vicky about how your dates were ‘okay, but just not special enough.’”

“You have superhearing,” Alex objected, though she fought to control the anxiety that had crept in at Kara’s suggestion. She knew that it was twelve years ago, that they had both been 18, that teenagers did these types of things, but still. The idea that her mother might have known and—even worse—have heard it happening? That was too much. If she were ever going to be able to make eye contact with her mother again, she needed to believe that Eliza was completely and utterly oblivious to the conversation she and Vicky had that night…and everything else that followed.

“Whatever you say, Alex. Point being, you’ve been waiting to tell her for a long time now. And I’m not going to steal your thunder.” Seeing the skeptical look on Alex’s face, she continued, “I’m serious. I know right now it seems awful to tell Eliza, but this is about you finally letting yourself be happy, about opening yourself up to all the feelings and experiences you’ve pushed down for so many years. You deserve to have your moment with her. To let her see how happy you are now and for her to be proud of it.”

“But you’re happy too.”

“I am. But I wasn’t unhappy with James, even if he only lasted a little while. I wasn’t unhappy with the guys I saw in college either. When I started to feel something with Lena, I already had the strength to be honest with myself about what I was feeling because I had you as an example of courage and bravery.”

Alex looked away and swallowed heavily. “Shut up. You’re going to make me cry.”

“Alex Danvers? Admitting to emotions? Never did I ever think I’d see the day…”

Alex rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at Kara.

“Ah, that’s more like it!”

“Whatever. You’re just happy that I’ll take the brunt of mom’s reaction.”

They spent the rest of the night talking about the women who had found their way into their lives, discussing date ideas, though Alex shot down a double date, at least for now. She did, however, agree to bring Maggie around to a game night one of these weeks, allowing that if Lena was there it would be sort of like a double date plus Winn and James.

By midnight, Alex was completely exhausted, having gotten only a couple hours of sleep the past few nights. She hugged Kara goodbye and even let her take half of the remaining cookies. She smiled as she shut the balcony door, shaking her head to herself. This was absolutely not how she had pictured their futures, but she couldn’t say she was disappointed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long Sanvers chapter with lots of fluff and a bit of smut toward the end, though nothing as X-rated as the smut to come ;)

On Thursday night, Alex was a disaster. There were multiple dresses strewn across her bed, and she was still standing there, twenty minutes before Maggie was set to show up, in only one heel and a bra. Throwing on a t-shirt, she called Kara. “It’s an emergency. A fashion emergency,” she clarified.

Within seconds, Kara was in her room, flopping down on her bed and pointing at different options.

“No. That one’s a little frumpy.”

“Strong contender. You always look nice in black.”

“Is that a little…short? It’s a first date; you don’t want to send the wrong impression.”

“Okay, this one is absolutely too short. I thought you threw out your clubbing clothes after grad school?”

“Oh, wow. Alex, you look beautiful!”

Alex smoothed the front of the navy dress. It had a v-neck and a small diamond-shaped cutout that still looked tasteful. She had to admit, she liked the way she looked in it. She found a pair of nude heels and put them on, hoping that Maggie would appreciate how long they made her legs look. With ten minutes left, she quickly finished curling her hair and freshened her lipstick.

She turned to Kara and asked: “How do I look?”

“Amazing. I promise.”

Alex took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. It was just Maggie. Maggie, who had already kissed her and told her she liked her. She shouldn’t be this nervous, but she was.

“Do you need anything else before I leave?”

“Uhm,” Alex hesitated. “Do you think you could use your superspeed to help me clean up all the rejected options? In case we end up back here, I don’t want her to think I’m too neurotic.”

“One: she’s met you; she already knows how neurotic you are. Two: I’m happy to help. But three: I’m going to assume that you will be back here for some chaste kissing and hot chocolate, and I have no desire to hear anything to the contrary.”

Alex smirked but kept her mouth shut as she watched her clothes fly into the closet. “You’re a lifesaver!”

“I know. I also hear footsteps, so I’m going to run, or, well, fly. But have fun and text me when you can! I want to hear all about it!” And with that, she was gone.

A few seconds later, Alex heard Maggie knocking. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the door and swung it open.

“Wow. You clean up nice.”

“Yeah, thanks. And you, yeah. You too. With the dress and the hair and all.” Alex knew she sounded incoherent, but she couldn’t seem to get out a full sentence with Maggie standing in front of her dressed in a tight black dress that showed off all of her curves, paired with heeled black booties that made her ass look amazing, though Alex was trying not to stare.

Maggie smirked. “Sure know how to make a girl feel good.”

“Sorry! You, just, yeah. You look nice.”

“And so do you. Now, do you need anything or are you ready to head out?”

“Ready whenever you are. Can I be honest?”

“Of course.”

“I’m a little nervous. Is that weird? Was it weird that I told you?”

Maggie’s mouth crinkled up into one of her dimpled smiles. “Nah. I’m even a little nervous myself.”

“Really?”

“I have a very pretty woman here who is expecting to be wooed. Of course I’m nervous.”

Alex blushed and threaded her fingers through Maggie’s. “Lead the way.”

When they got outside, Maggie led Alex over to a nondescript black sedan. “I figured I shouldn’t have you dress up only to put you on the back of a motorcycle.” Alex nodded and got in, Maggie shutting the door behind her.

“So where are we going?”

“Dinner.”

“Are you going to tell me where?”

“Nope.”

Alex grumbled, but she was still smiling.

A short drive later, Maggie pulled up outside of a nice restaurant that had opened last year. Alex had been meaning to check it out, but never found the time. “I’ve heard really good things about this place!”

“Yeah, I actually know the chef.”

“You just got here. How are you possibly already so much better connected than I am?”

“I know her from Gotham, for one. She is also a…friend of Sappho. Not an ex, though,” she clarified, catching Alex’s look. With a wink she added, “But, hey, you’re tight with Supergirl, which is way better than knowing a few bartenders and chefs.”

Alex shook her head, knowing that Maggie was downplaying the network that she had created in her few months in National City. It was rather impressive, the woman’s ability to talk to strangers and care enough to get to know them beyond the pleasantries. It was one of the many things Alex had come to love—no, she corrected herself, like about the woman.

They were soon seated in a slightly secluded table, tucked in by a large window that overlooked the gardens and outdoor patio that would reopen in the warmer weather. Dinner passed quickly, and the conversation seemed to flow effortlessly. Maggie felt like they talked about anything and everything, jumping from old memories to future aspirations, from banal discussions about work and weather, to deep philosophical musings. It was exactly what Maggie had always hoped for in a first date. She’d had good dates, but she couldn’t recall ever having such a great date.

When the waiter came and asked if they’d like dessert, Maggie shook her head. Catching the disappointment on Alex’s face, she quickly clarified. “I’m having an amazing time, and I’m not saying we can’t have dessert! I just have something else in mind. If you’re okay with that.” Alex nodded, grateful that Maggie knew to assuage her fears before she’d even voiced them.

When the check came, Maggie grabbed it. “Maggie, I don’t expect you to treat me. I’m happy to split it.”

“I know, Danvers, don’t worry. You plan the next date and pay for it. Sound fair?”

“So…there’s going to be a next date?” A huge smile spread across Alex’s face.

“I’d say there’s a pretty good chance.”

“I like those odds, Sawyer.”

A few minutes later, Maggie helped Alex up and led her out of the restaurant. She looked back at Alex. “Now, the dessert itself is a surprise. But one hint I have to give you is that it’s portable. It’s a little cold and dark to eat outside in the park, which was my original idea. So maybe we go to an apartment. Yours or mine?”

“We’re closer to mine,” Alex offered. “But if you’d rather go to your place, that’s fine too!”

“Your place it is. Your chariot awaits.” Maggie performed a grand sweeping motion, pulling open the door for Alex, who couldn’t help a loud laugh.

“My, my. I didn’t think I’d get my Prince Charming once I came out as a lesbian.”

“Princess Charming,” Maggie corrected.

A few minutes later, they were back at Alex’s place. Once Maggie helped Alex out of the car, she pulled a large bag out of the backseat, but blocked Alex’s view when she tried to peek. “Just wait five minutes!”

“Fine!” Alex continued trying to peek as they made their way into the building and up the elevator to her apartment.

When they made it through the door, Maggie asked, “Think you can wait a few extra minutes for me to give you a proper first date kiss?”

“Don’t you normally wait until the end of a date for that?”

“Do you want to wait?”

“No, definitely not.” And Alex leaned into Maggie, feeling the familiar flutter in her chest as their lips met. It was soft and sweet—different from the urgent kisses that they had shared on Monday night, but still perfect in its own right.

When Maggie pulled back, she had a dopey grin on her face that she tried to hide before Alex caught her. “Can you keep your eyes closed for a few minutes? Or like, go to the bedroom or bathroom for a minute?”

“Okay…” Alex seemed suspicious, though not at all concerned.

While Alex was in the bathroom, Maggie quickly spread out a large quilt on her living room floor and set to work putting out various dishes. Just as she was finishing she heard Alex whining from behind the bathroom door, “Are you almost ready? I’m so curious!”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on out, Danvers.”

Alex tilted her head, taking in the sight in front of her. In just the few minutes she was gone, Maggie had set up a romantic picnic where her coffee table had been. She even had two small candles burning. And then there were the series of Tupperware containers, still closed, that Alex wasn’t quite sure about. But she didn’t really care. All she cared about was that Maggie had gone to all of this effort, and it was all for her. For Alex. For the woman that was too often the afterthought or second best compared to her sister.

“You okay on the floor?” Maggie asked.

Alex nodded and grinned, kicking off her heels as she settled onto the blanket. “So, do I get to know what’s in these containers, or is this, like, some Fear Factor style thing that’s totally being disguised by the romantic candles?”

“Nah, this is an Italian mother’s way of saying, ‘Welcome to the family! You don’t have any meat on your bones!’”

“You want to tell me something about a secret kid?”

Maggie laughed. “No, no. My mom’s side of the family is Italian. It would seem that I mentioned you enough over the past few months for her to figure out that I liked you. And when she found out that you had a sweet tooth, well, she sent cookies. And an Italian mother never just sends one thing of cookies. So…” she gestured to the containers spread out in front of her. “Voila.”

“Wow. So,” she teased, “you told your mom about me?”

“More like my mom listened and figured it out before I did. And when she asked if I had asked you out yet, I couldn’t really lie.”

Alex smiled, happy to hear that Maggie had liked her enough to be talking about her too. She had clearly done the same thing, since Kara knew right away that Maggie was behind her sudden coming out.

“Now that I know they’re just cookies, can I see them?”

“Just cookies? I’m offended.” But the smile on her face gave her away. “Okay, so almost everything was made by my mom, though I whipped up this,” Maggie said, holding up a smaller container. She went through, telling Alex what was in each type of cookie and giving her a taste test. She saved two containers for last, one of which was the one she had made. “Now these two go together. We’ve got my mom’s cannoli shells. But since the filling needs to be refrigerated, I made that. And don’t worry, I’ve kept it on icepacks all night. No food poisoning for a first date. The shells got a little busted up on their journey from Nebraska to National City, but they work just as well as little scoops for the filling.”

Alex swore she had never tasted anything this good when Maggie fed her a sample. “How are you possibly this little when you can cook like this?”

“I was a cop. Lots of running around and working out. Though of course now with my life up in the ivory tower, I’ve probably let my workout routine slip.”

“From what I saw the other night, I don’t think you have much to worry about,” Alex flirted.

“Very smooth.”

They sat together, eating their way through far too many cookies as Maggie talked about her family. Alex heard about how between Maggie’s Italian mother and her Mexican grandmother who had moved in with them when she was 8, Maggie had learned the importance of food and cooking as a way of keeping family traditions alive. She learned that Maggie was pretty much bilingual with English and Spanish, though she also spoke a bit of Italian. She got to hear about all of Maggie’s cousins and what they did. She held Maggie’s hand when she talked about the few aunts and uncles who had been unwilling to accept her once she came out, clinging closely to their Catholicism as an excuse to cast aside the niece they claimed to love. Maggie talked about her decision to join the police force, then her decision to go back to grad school at night. From there, Alex was pretty much caught up on her life, though she told a few stories from her move here that she didn’t think Alex had heard yet.

As Maggie spoke, Alex looked at her in awe. She had been through so much and made so many hard choices, even as a young teenager. Alex was continually impressed with each new fact she learned. She had thought she had it bad for the woman sitting beside her earlier, but now? Now she _knew_ she was falling fast. She had never felt this way, but Maggie made it seem safe and not scary.

Finally, they both felt they couldn’t eat another bite, and Alex helped Maggie pack up the leftovers and load them into the bag.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue to go,” Maggie said, standing up.

“Or not, you know.”

“You asking for something, Danvers?”

“I’m just saying that the night’s still young. I’m not really tired yet.”

“I guess I’m pretty awake too.”

“Yeah…” Alex’s voice trailed off as she drew small circles in the carpet with her toes.

“Do you have anything in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I can think of a few things.”

Maggie grinned. “Do any of them start with my lips?”

“Almost all of them.”

“Well then, let me help you out.” Maggie leaned forward, capturing Alex’s lips. She let her arms wrap around Alex, holding her close. Alex’s tongue was soon running along Maggie’s lower lip, begging for entrance. Maggie happily obliged, feeling her body relax into Alex’s as their kiss deepened. They stayed standing like that for a while, neither of them really capable of keeping time anymore.

Pulling away slightly breathless, Alex asked, her voice husky but quiet, “Would you want to, um, move this somewhere?”

“You sure you want this?” Maggie quickly added, “I’m not suggesting that you’re asking me to have sex, just that you’re asking me to go to the bedroom. Where we could totally stay standing up and doing exactly what we’re doing. Or we could just sit there and chat, that’s fine too!”

“Sawyer, relax,” Alex laughed. “I’m not some fragile thing you need to protect. I know you’re not pushing me into anything I don’t want to do. Honestly, right now, there’s almost nothing I don’t want to do to you. But we can take it slow if you want. It would be nice if we didn't have to stand, though.”

Maggie nodded, smiling bashfully. She followed Alex into her bedroom, taking off her heels as she went.

“So that’s why you were suddenly my height,” Alex teased.

“It’s just a few inches you have on me.”

“Still.”

Maggie playfully pushed Alex down onto the bed in response, though seeing the way Alex’s eyes darkened as she licked her lips, the mood shifted. Maggie leaned forward putting her hands on the bed on either side of Alex as she kissed her greedily. Alex moaned, pulling herself further up on the bed and motioning for Maggie to follow. The brunette hiked her dress up, aware that she was now basically pantsless but unwilling to care, and straddled Alex as she let her lips move to Alex’s neck.

Alex began to explore Maggie’s exposed thighs with her hands. Realizing she hadn’t done this before, she asked, “Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Maggie moaned, already missing the contact from when Alex had pulled her hands back. She sighed contentedly when Alex’s fingers found their way to the backs of her thighs and up to her ass.

Alex wondered why anyone preferred men to women. Maggie’s skin was so soft and smooth, and she had curves in all of the right places. She smirked when the back of her hand brushed against Maggie’s thong, feeling how wet it was and hearing the sharp intake of breath by her ear.

Maggie tried to arch into her, though quickly straightened out again as the dress scrunched up at her hips and constricted her movements.

“That looks a little uncomfortable,” Alex began. “Do you, uh, do you want to take it off? I wouldn’t mind.”

Maggie smiled. “It is a little uncomfortable, but I’m only wearing a bra and some very revealing undergarments.” Alex’s mouth went dry at the thought. “Are you sure you’d be okay with that?”

Alex nodded, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. “I could, well, I could take this off too, if it would make you feel better.”

“It’s whatever makes you happy, Alex.”

“I mean, I’m happiest in pajamas. But I think with you, I could be happiest in no clothes.”

Maggie’s breath caught. She had never imagined that the woman who started and stammered when she implied she was gay just a few months ago would be under her making such forward statements. She loved the surprise. She climbed off of Alex to remove the dress. “Can you help me with the zipper?”

“Of course.” Alex rushed over to lend a hand. She hadn’t imagined how sensual it could be to slide the zipper down Maggie’s back—an action she’d done plenty of times for herself or for Kara and friends in dressing rooms, but never in a situation like this. When it was all the way down, she helped Maggie step out of it, still careful to avoid the stitches that were healing nicely on Maggie’s bicep. She bit her tongue when she caught sight of Maggie’s body. She had imagined what the woman might look like, but her imagination hadn’t done her justice. She wanted nothing more than to press kisses all across the smooth expanses of skin in front of her, but now Maggie was motioning for her to turn around.

Maggie started pulling down the zipper on Alex’s dress. Her breath hitched when she saw that Alex hadn’t worn a bra with the dress. She knew that she had already seen the beautiful redhead without a shirt on, but she was thrilled about seeing her for a second time. She let her fingers linger on Alex’s back as she helped Alex out of the dress. Her mind went blank when Alex turned to her wearing nothing but tight boyshorts. She tried to form a coherent sentence, but words escaped her as her eyes traveled up and down Alex’s long, toned legs.

Normally Alex might have smirked or teased Maggie over her dumbstruck reaction. But right now, she needed some sort of confirmation that she was okay. She had never been this close to naked in front of another person for the first time without anything to drink, and she realized that the experience was a lot scarier when there was nothing to dull the fear. Sure, she and Vicky had slept together sober, but at least Vicky already knew what to expect. Now, all she could think about was whether she would be enough for Maggie, for this very sexy woman currently looking at almost all of her.

When Maggie looked up and saw the nerves playing around the edges of Alex’s mouth, the need for affirmation in the look she gave, Maggie pulled her into her arms, worshiping her body with needy, urgent, desperate kisses as she whispered compliments as her lips trailed across Alex’s heated skin, telling, reminding, confirming that the woman in front of her was beautiful and perfect and everything she wanted.

Alex blinked back tears. Happy tears. She had needed this, and Maggie had simply known. And now that Alex knew she was enough, she wanted to make it abundantly clear that she too felt Maggie was enough—more than enough. She dropped to her knees, lavishing kisses across Maggie’s stomach and down her toned thighs. Maggie’s breath came in sharp gasps. She knew that they weren’t having sex tonight, but she was finding it exceptionally difficult to get her body to remember that fact. She wondered if Alex could see how wet she was, even smell her arousal with how close her face was. Maggie breathed a sigh of relief when Alex began kissing her way back up Maggie’s body a few minutes later. She tried to get her breathing under control as she met Alex’s lips again. Alex carefully guided Maggie back to the bed, pushing her down as she straddled her hips.

“You’re topping me?”

Alex blushed, but didn’t change their positions. She let her mouth run down Maggie’s body again, tracing kisses across Maggie’s chest and down her abs as her hands explored Maggie’s thighs, making her gasp and pant and moan, trying very hard to keep her body in check. Alex moved her mouth back up to Maggie’s, joining their lips together in a searing kiss that felt full of need. She laced their legs together, providing some relief for the smaller woman when her thigh pressed down against Maggie’s clit. Maggie was grateful to feel how wet Alex was, knowing that she needed her just as urgently as she needed Alex, even if they wouldn’t act on it tonight.

Alex loved the feeling of Maggie’s thigh against her pussy, and she grinded against her as she let her tongue explore Maggie’s mouth and her hands play with Maggie’s hard nipples.

When they were both sweaty and panting, moaning out each other’s names, Maggie felt Alex’s body stiffen and shudder, then come crashing down on her. She smiled, but Alex quickly tore herself off Maggie’s body, her face a brilliant red. “Oh my god! I’m so sorry! That’s never happened before. This is so incredibly embarrassing.”

Maggie bit back a laugh, recognizing how upset Alex was. She quickly scooted across the bed and sat behind Alex, wrapping her arms around her. “Alex, there is nothing wrong with that.”

“Yes there is! We weren’t even having sex, and I…I, you know.”

“You came. And it was hot. So fucking sexy, Alex. It’s normal, you know? All it means is that you were turned on and there was friction. And friction is a great thing. This? What we were doing? That’s a big part of sex between two women sometimes. And it’s okay to like it or not. But you don’t need to be embarrassed. At all. Honestly, if I were on top of you, it probably would have been me. And I’m still down to have that be the case if you want. But we can also just cuddle or talk, or I can leave. Your call.”

Alex sniffled as she looked up at Maggie. “You promise?”

“Swear on my life.” She pressed a soft kiss to Alex’s forehead.

“Then maybe we just cuddle for a few minutes? I can, uh, calm down before we go back to kissing?”

“That sounds great.”

After a few minutes of silent snuggling, Maggie stroking Alex’s hair and holding her tight against her chest, Alex poked her head back up, looking considerably less embarrassed than before. “So,” Alex began, “the same thing really would have happened to you if you were on top?”

Maggie smiled. “Absolutely.”

“Do you, um, do you want to take a turn on top?”

Maggie looked at the clock, seeing it was almost 2 in the morning already. “I would love nothing more, but I should let you get to sleep.”

“I wouldn’t want to leave you…unsatisfied.”

Maggie groaned. She didn’t know if Alex knew the things she did to her body, the way she reacted to even just a teasing flirty lilt in Alex’s voice. “If we start again, are we really going to stop?”

“Well how long would you, um, take?”

“Honestly?” Maggie looked slightly sheepish. “Probably just a minute or two. But if I’m on top of you, I’m going to drag that out for as long as I can. And it is a school night, Dr. Danvers.”

“But neither of us have classes tomorrow.”

“Nope, just nervous freshmen battering down my door.”

Alex laughed and groaned, knowing she would be seeing many of the same anxious faces. “Don’t make me think about them right now!” She flopped down on top of Maggie, her thigh grazing in between Maggie’s legs.

Maggie gasped. “You don’t play fair.”

Alex really hadn’t meant to start anything, but she wasn’t about to stop it either. “If I weren’t here, would you really let an opportunity like this go?”

“If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“You’re telling me that when you get home, you’re going to be totally cured? You won’t want me just because I’m out of your sight?” Maggie just groaned and pushed into Alex’s thigh, which Alex took as a sign to continue. “Maybe you don’t want to get started with me again,” she said, pulling away from Maggie and curling back into her side, “but don’t act like you won’t be thinking about me while you’re trying to sleep tonight.”

“Who would have thought that the stuttering, quick-to-blush redhead would be talking dirty on date number one?”

Alex flushed and stammered. “I don’t know. Normally I wouldn’t be. You just, I don’t know, you bring it out in me. Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply…”

Maggie cut her off with a kiss, then pulled back an inch or two. “You weren’t wrong. And I adore this side of you. Because when I get home, I’m going straight to bed. And I know I won’t fall asleep if I don’t let myself come. So I will. Alone. But I’ll be thinking of you.”

Alex whimpered. She pulled herself even tighter around Maggie. “What if…what if you didn’t go?”

“I think my students would be very confused by my outfit.”

“Oh.” Alex sounded genuinely disappointed, and it broke Maggie’s heart.

“Not to sound presumptuous, but I do have jeans in the trunk of my car. I’d need to borrow a shirt, though.”

“It’s settled then. If you’re okay with staying, of course!”

“I am. I don’t do things I don’t want to do.”

“You did, um, mention something you did want to do. If you had gone home. But I imagine you still want to…even though you’re here.”

“What? No! No, it’s okay. I can wait. I’m just happy to be here with you.” Maggie wanted nothing more than to come undone, thinking about the feeling of Alex grinding into her body, the sight of Alex’s nearly naked body, the memory of Alex moaning and tensing and tumbling down on top of her.

Even though there was nothing that would make Alex’s night better than watching Maggie come, she didn’t push the issue. It certainly wasn’t anything she would want to pressure Maggie into. “Okay, right, yeah. I just, I’m going to go clean up for bed. I’ll be back in a few minutes. You can grab something to sleep in from the middle drawer on the right if you’d be more comfortable.”

Maggie nodded, pulling herself out of bed to go find some shorts and a t-shirt, while Alex traipsed off to the bathroom, a goofy grin plastered across her face. She pulled on Alex’s shirt first, loving how it smelled like the woman. She wondered if it would be okay to sleep in just the shorts, given that a thong wasn’t the most comfortable item of clothing she owned. Figuring that she could wash them before giving them back, Maggie pulled off the small piece of fabric. She knew she was wet. She didn’t realize that she was soaking wet. Curious, she let a finger drift down, finding that she was still rather turned on. She hadn’t meant to touch herself, but now she wondered if it would really be the worst thing. She reasoned that if she could just come very quickly and quietly, she would be a much less distracted sleeping companion for Alex. She fell back into the pillows, pulling the sheets up, softly sliding one finger, then two, inside of herself, letting her other hand move down to draw rub quick, small circles around her clit. She schooled herself to be silent, trying to remember how quiet she’d had to be back home or during the years in college and right out of undergrad when she’d lived with multiple roommates and had exceptionally thin walls. Trying to come quickly, Maggie squeezed her eyes shut, conjuring up images from earlier tonight, imaging what it would be like if it were Alex’s hands between her thighs, thrusting in and out of her slick folds. The thought of Alex fucking her quickly pushed her over the edge and, despite her best efforts, she softly moaned as she came, “Fuck, Alex, fuck.”

Alex felt her stomach clench as her jaw dropped. She had hurried back to the room to let Maggie know that the bathroom was free if she wanted to brush her teeth. Suddenly, Alex wanted to pounce. She debated the merits of doing just that. She wondered how embarrassed Maggie might be to have been caught. Despite the gentle moaning, it was clear that she had tried her best to stay silent. But Alex also thought that getting the real Alex, rather than the one Maggie was picturing behind closed eyes, might make it worthwhile. Besides, Alex was suddenly very awake and very aroused.

In moments, the decision was made for her, as Maggie’s eyes fluttered back open and caught sight of Alex standing like a deer in the headlights, frozen in the bedroom doorway.

“Fuck, Alex! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…I didn’t plan to, you know, it just, I was just changing, but then.”

Alex shushed her and walked slowly, seductively over to the side of the bed. “Didn’t I ask if you wanted to do that?”

Maggie nodded.

“Then why would I be mad?”

Maggie shrugged. “I mean, maybe you were just offering because you felt badly. And also I did it in your bed, which was not my finest choice.” Maggie cringed, wishing the earth would open up and swallow her whole.

“Maggie, I plan on making you come so many times in this bed. What’s one more?”

Maggie blushed, trying to make her mouth shift upwards into her usual smirk, but this evening she seemed too flustered to play it cool. “I’m just, still, I’m sorry.”

Alex moved even closer. “Please stop apologizing. It was hot. That’s all there is to it. Now I’m going to let you go to the bathroom to brush your teeth because I know we’re desperately trying to wait to do anything more than this, and I know that if I stay here with you right now, we won’t be waiting for more than five minutes.”

A grin finally broke through Maggie’s embarrassment. “I’m glad I still have that effect on you.”

“Always.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Superfriends game night + Maggie + Lena = joint shovel talks by the Danvers sisters

All day Friday, Maggie was a distracted mess. She had borrowed a white Oxford shirt from Alex that was just a little too big, which made it that much cozier. She cuffed the sleeves up, hoping she could pull it off as an artsy intentional style, rather than a look that screamed: “I got laid last night and instead of walk of shaming it, I just borrowed a shirt that doesn’t quite fit.” Though, if Maggie were being honest, she thought it fit perfectly. Plus it smelled amazing. And it reminded her of Alex. And all day long, she was just a little nicer than normal. The student who demanded a higher score wasn’t immediately thrown out of her office; instead, Maggie patiently explained to him the importance of fairness in grading and only _then_ did she throw him out of her office. When Winn and Kara wouldn’t stop whispering outside of her office door, she went out to say hi, rather than yelling at Winn to shut up and run along to his own office. Though, when Kara came in a few minutes later, Maggie ran into trouble. Because she was in too good of a mood to say no to the blonde’s request to join her and her friends for game night. With a smile that spelled trouble, Kara added on her way out the door, “Great! Now you get to tell Alex she has to come tonight. After all, her girlfriend is going to be there.” Maggie opened and shut her mouth, unable to come up with a response before Kara skipped off down the hallway.

Shit. She wondered if Alex was even okay having her come to game night. She knew that she had told Kara about them, but still, it hadn’t even been a week. Maybe Alex would want to make sure that they would work out before she introduced her to anyone. Even more, Alex might not be out to all of Kara’s friends. She wondered how badly she had fucked up. Looking at her watch, she saw that she had just a couple more minutes of open office hours left. Where before she had been looking forward to some blocked off time to send emails, now she dreaded it, knowing she needed to deliver the news to Alex.

After a few minutes of stalling, organizing the papers on her desk, and writing out a to do list she already had typed in her phone, Maggie took a deep breath and walked down the hall to Alex’s office. Peering inside, she saw Alex hunched over her desk, glasses on, a pretzel stick stuck out of her mouth, and a pen in her hand hovering over the article on her desk. Maggie thought she looked adorable. And sexy. She should wear glasses more often. Finally, Maggie knocked lightly on the door, wishing she didn’t have to interrupt the moment.

“Hey!” Alex replied brightly. “Come in!”

Maggie offered a small smile. “Sorry, if you’re busy, I can come back.”

“No, no. Just catching up on some reading, since I still can’t get back into my lab.”

“How much longer til the repairs are done?”

“They said another week or two. I shouldn’t complain. What about you? How were all those anxious freshmen?”

“Anxious,” Maggie laughed. “But they’re good kids. So, I, um, ran into Kara.”

“Oh yeah? What was she doing over here?”

“Visiting Winn I think.”

“Probably trying to decide which games they’re going to nearly kill each other over tonight.” Misinterpreting the grimace on Maggie’s face as a look of confusion, she clarified, “Oh yeah, they get together and eat an absurd amount of junk food while playing board games that sometimes have made-up rules to make them even more convoluted. And of course, Kara is always on my case about skipping one now and then.”

“Were you, um, planning to go tonight?”

“Not if you’re offering me an alternative.” Alex shot a smile at Maggie.

Maggie faltered, “Well, so, here’s the thing. Kara mentioned it to me. But she didn’t mention that you weren’t going. And, well, yeah, so she asked if I would come. And she used that puppy dog pout that you Danvers sisters have down to an art. So I said yes. But then I realized that was so presumptuous because now I’m showing up to this family tradition when we’ve only been together for a few days, and I don’t even know if you want them to know.”

Alex cut her off, though not with her preferred method of a kiss. “Maggie, breath. Can you shut the door? Not that I’m embarrassed to be talking to you, but we are at work.”

Maggie blushed, realizing she was only making everything worse. She pulled the door shut and returned to Alex’s desk, sliding into one of the chairs opposite Alex.

“I like you. I knew that I liked you for far longer than a few days. And if your speech was any indication, you felt the same. So sure, it’s early. And we could always just say you’re my friend. But I don’t want to. I’m so happy with you. I’m happy being honest and getitng to be myself. My friends will be happy for me. Plus, if they’re not, I know damn well I can kick their asses.”

Maggie let out a soft chuckle. “Alright, Danvers. You should know, I don’t lose.”

“Nor do I. You better hope we’re on the same team tonight.”

“Oh, I’ve always known you played for my team. Even if you didn’t admit it for a while.”

“Shut up. Are you ever going to let me live that night down?”

“What? You mean your, ‘Me? Oh, I’m not gay. Nope. No. Totally, 100 percent heterosexual woman who loves men’ speech? Yeah, never.”

“You’re the worst.”

“I’m the reason you’re not still pretending to like men.”

“Fine,” Alex huffed. “I’ll give you that.”

“So you’re not mad that I signed us up for game night?”

“I’m not mad that I’m going to get to spend another night with you. I’m not mad that you’re going to meet my sister and my friends as the person I’m dating. Maybe I’m a little mad that we won’t get to spend some time alone together, but I can think of ways you can make it up to me.”

“Oh really?”

“Mhm.”

“Care to name them?”

Realizing they were at work but still very much wanting to watch Maggie squirm, Alex motioned with her index finger for Maggie to come closer. She bit her bottom lip and leaned seductively over her desk. Murmuring softly in Maggie’s ear, Alex whispered, “As soon as we leave here, we’re going to get in your car and go back to my place. And do you know what we’re going to do there?” Maggie almost whimpered. “You are going to make me dinner.” Alex cackled as Maggie swatted at her upper arm.

“You’re the worst, Alex!” Maggie whined.

“Nah, I think I’m pretty great.”

“Ugh, I think so too,” Maggie conceded.

\---

Later that night, Maggie gripped Alex’s hand as they stood outside Kara’s apartment. The last time she had been here, she was ather drunk and desperately trying to keep Alex as a friend after turning her down. She wondered if she had interrupted a game night then. If so, she hoped no one would remember her.

“Ready?” Alex asked.

“No,” Maggie responded honestly. “But I really do want to meet everyone. I just, I haven’t really done this in a long time. You know? Been around long enough to meet someone’s friends and family.”

“Well, this is just one family member. And her goofy friends, none of whom will be here yet, since I made us leave so early. I think it’ll be just fine. Besides, I’ll be the one that gets all the teasing. You get to be a guest. At least this time.”

Maggie smiled at the implication that there would be future game nights in which she was no longer seen as the guest. “Lead the way, Danvers.”

Alex pushed open the door, knowing Kara rarely locked her apartment, especially when people were coming over. “Kara!” she yelled, “We’re here!”

Kara popped her head out of her bedroom, looking flushed. Alex wondered if she had been out on Supergirl business. It wasn’t like Kara not to be ready on time. Normally she was already half a bag of cookies in by the time the rest of the gang showed up.

“You’re early! Super early. Like, 20 minutes early,” Kara rambled.

“Yeah. I didn’t want Maggie to get overwhelmed trying to meet everyone at once.”

“Oh, okay, yeah. Well. Maybe you guys want to settle in. I’ve got some, um, stuff, to finish up, in here,” she finished lamely, gesturing back to her bedroom.

“Why are you being so weird? Is something wrong? Can you at least be normal and come say hi to Maggie?”

Maggie watched the interaction with interest. She could've sworn she recognized the look on Kara’s face, though from what Alex had told her, she doubted that was the case.

“Right! I’m being such a rude hostess!” Kara ran over and swept Maggie into a hug. “Thank you so much for coming! I’m sorry, I just really need to finish a thing.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Maggie waved her off. In a stage whisper she added, “Little Danvers? I think you missed a few buttons.”

Kara flushed a brilliant shade of red and let out a squeak. Alex looked between the two, unclear on exactly what was happening and why Maggie was smirking at her sister, but also still rather certain that Kara must have been throwing on clothing from a Supergirl mission. But then Kara shuffled back to her bedroom and pulled open the door. And Lena Luthor walked out, looking distinctly more put together and less embarrassed than Kara.

“Alex, you remember Lena. Lena, this is Maggie, Alex’s girlfriend.”

Alex didn’t even have time to process the fact that Maggie had been introduced as her girlfriend. She looked wide-eyed at her sister. “Kara? A moment? In the kitchen?”

Kara nodded, traipsing behind her big sister, leaving Maggie and Lena alone in the living room. “So,” Maggie started, “I guess we’re in the significant others club.” Lena let out a low laugh. She didn’t like many people, but she suspected she and Maggie would get along quite well.

In the kitchen, Alex was whisper-yelling at Kara. “How could you not tell me she was over? That you're officially dating? Or at least you had better be officially dating. What were you doing in there with her? You’re supposed to keep me up-to-date on your love life! Why am I the last one to know? Even Maggie knew before I did!”

“That’s just because she figured it out. I did want to tell you! But you were gone all last night, then I figured you would get to meet Lena in this capacity tonight. I didn’t really think it would be like this…but still. Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad that you’re together or with her. I would have liked to know first, though. Also, she’s going to get a real stern talking to about whatever it is she was doing to you behind closed doors.”

“Alex!” Kara whined.

“If you’re giving Maggie the shovel talk, I get to give it to Lena.”

“Fair. Should we just do it now? Get it out of the way in a sort of coordinated joint attack?”

Alex laughed. “Perhaps we should give them the night off?” Kara arched her eyebrow, surprised to hear Alex not jumping at the opportunity. “Nah! You’re right. Let’s switch and get it out in the open now.”

They walked across the room side-by-side, motioning to the two women they had left in the living room. Maggie gave a confused smile and arched her eyebrow while Lena cocked her head to one side.

“You,” Alex motioned to Lena, “come with me.”

Kara shook her head at the smirk playing on Maggie’s face. “You too. Over here.” She shot Alex a wink, finding that she was really enjoying this form of sisterly bonding.

“My little sister,” Alex began, “seems to really like you. That’s fine.”

“Alex might be able to fight criminals wielding large weapons without any help from her own superhero sister,” Kara began, “but she’s not indestructible.”

“Kara’s made of steel, but she still feels things. I know you’ve been there to help her, even before this started. But I also know people. And unlike what Kara thinks, people don’t always make the best decisions.”

“You left. You left Alex alone. She was so vulnerable. Do you know what it’s like to find your badass sister curled up, bawling her eyes out with a half-empty whiskey bottle next to her? Of course you don’t because you weren’t there. Because she’ll never admit how hurt and scared she was.”

“Now I just watched you saunter out of my baby sister’s bedroom, clothes barely back on. And I might only be a professor, but I know science. Off the top of my head, I can think of nine different ways to make sure the police never find your body. So if you value your life, you will treat her right. You will respect her. And you will not confront me with another situation where I am forced to dwell on what you might have been doing to her.”

“But you’re back. And I’ve never seen Alex so happy or so, I don’t even know the right word, authentically her, maybe? The point is, you did that. But if you so much as make her tear up one more time, I will disregard my whole mission of protecting everyone on this planet. Do you remember the time all of the news channels started saying Supergirl had gone evil? Well, that was an evil lookalike. This would be entirely me.”

“So long as you understand that, Lena, I’m here to welcome you to the family.” Alex gave her a smile, though Lena understood that a threat lurked beneath the façade and gave her a nod, indicating her understanding.

“But,” Kara returned to her sunny self, “I like what you’re doing now. Keep doing it so that neither of us have to face those consequences.” Maggie nodded her head, fighting the urge to salute Kara.

The two sisters grinned at each other and waltzed into the kitchen, leaving Lena and Maggie still feeling slightly stunned and a bit nervous. “You guys can relax now,” Kara called out. “We’re just getting snacks, not weapons!”

“Okay,” Maggie called back, displeased with the way her voice cracked when she spoke.

Snacks helped to ease the tension, as did the chaste kiss Kara placed on Lena’s lips and the way Alex tugged Maggie into her arms. By the time Winn and James showed up, there was no trace of the lingering tension that had filled the room earlier that night. The introductions went smoothly with only one threat to Winn’s life from Alex, though it was made (mainly) in jest. Over the night, they rotated through Pictionary, Taboo, and even a highly inappropriate hour of Cards Against Humanity that Lena managed to win, beating Maggie by the narrowest of margins.

“It would seem the Danvers sisters have a type,” James joked.

“Pretty,” Kara chimed in, just as Alex offered, “Hot.”

“I was going to suggest a wicked sense of humor, but I suppose you are both conventionally attractive,” James added, trying to avoid incurring the wrath of both Danvers sisters by either not acknowledging the attractiveness of their girlfriends or acknowledging it too much.

“Well played, Olsen.” Alex smirked. “Now, if you will all excuse us, it’s been a fun night, but it’s late.” She didn’t add that she had a few more things she’d like to do with Maggie before the night ended.

“I should head out too,” James added. “I’m actually flying out tomorrow for a long Thanksgiving holiday.”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Kara squealed. “Alex, watch for texts. I’m assigning you to bring something, I just haven’t divvied it up yet. And Winn, you’ll be coming again?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Even after last year’s fucking disaster?” Alex laughed with a derisive laugh.

“Better than my non-existent family. Besides, family drama is what the holidays are all about.”

“When do you leave, Maggie?” Kara asked.

“Nebraska is a little far away for a long weekend. But it’s all good! I think I’m gonna volunteer at one of the kitchens that does an early lunch for homeless youth.”

“She’s a keeper, Alex,” Kara said, a hint of admiration in her voice.

“Don’t I know it.”

“Well, when you’re done, if you want food…” Kara suggested, trying to avoid Alex’s panicked glances. “I’m just saying. We don’t start eating until 4.”

“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Might be nice to have you there,” Alex admitted in a much smaller voice than she’d normally use in front of her friends. “Not that you have to come. We can, we can talk about this later.”

“Okay,” Maggie said with a small smile. She wondered what it would be like to see Alex with her whole family. From descriptions of past years, it sounded like the holidays were a stressful time. She wondered if her presence might keep Alex to the one drink limit she had promised to try for. Then she remembered what she had offered in return and blushed, glad her tan cheeks could hide some of the color. “Let’s head out. We can figure our plans out in the car. Plus, I should check in with the shelter about the times first. I wouldn’t want to accidentally make overlapping plans.” She figured that would give Alex an out if she didn’t want Maggie there...meeting her mother.

They gave their goodbyes, and gradually everyone dispersed. While they were in the car, Maggie brought Thanksgiving up again. “I really don’t mind, you know, spending Thanksgiving on my own. I see the kids in the morning, then hang out and watch some old reruns. I’ve done it most years since leaving Nebraska, and I honestly don’t mind it. I love getting to see the kids. So many of them remind me of what could have happened to me if my parents weren’t as loving and accepting as they were. It’s nice to be able to show them that there are good people out there who accept them for who they are.”

Alex eyed her girlfriend with something like love, though she knew it was far too early for that. “You’re a better person than you’d ever give yourself credit for, Sawyer.”

Maggie scoffed, deflecting attention away from herself. “Point being: don’t worry about me. I know it’s early to be meeting your mother, so I’m not going to be upset if you don’t want me to come.”

“And if I do?” Alex asked in a very quiet voice.

“If you do, then I’ll be right there with you.”

“But you have to check the times first.”

“Nah, the stuff at the shelter is over by 1. They plan it so that the volunteers can get home to their families if they want to. Some people stick around until the event ends at 3, but the majority of the work is done by noon. I just wanted to give you an easy out.”

“How thoughtful,” Alex teased. “Maybe,” she began, “maybe I could go with you. If you want. And then we could get ready and go to Kara’s. It might be nice to volunteer. I normally spend my mornings pre-gaming and thinking of excuses not to go.”

“And this year you’re not allowed to pre-game. Well, not allowed if you want some of this,” Maggie said, gesturing with one hand up and down her small frame, which was suddenly very distracting to Alex. She was glad she wasn’t the one driving.

“So your offer still stands?”

“Well…if I’m coming with you to meet this tyrant of a mother, then I need to make it harder. You’ll have me there, so I’ll be like that one drink you could have had. So now nothing if you want to get to do anything and everything you want to me after the meal.”

“Not fair!” Alex whined.

“Life’s not fair.”

“I’ve been doing just fine! I haven’t had anything to drink, and I don’t even miss it.”

Maggie nodded. She had to admit, that had taken her by surprise. She expected Alex to have put up more resistance, but she hadn’t even tried to order a drink with dinner since she made her promise to Maggie. She wondered if she had misread the situation. Certainly Alex had a problematic relationship with alcohol, but she thought it might not be the simple alcoholism she had assumed it was. Maybe Alex had been right, perhaps it was situational. But she knew that Thanksgiving would be just the situation that could drive Alex to drink, and she wanted to challenge the woman to find alternative, healthier ways of coping.

“If I can do that, I want more than just one night of anything I want. I want the whole weekend.”

“If you stay sober, that’s a deal.” Maggie was pretty sure they would have spent the long weekend in bed anyway, at least with the way things had been going. And she was more than a little pleased to see how badly Alex wanted her. She’d never been too worked up about making sex into a huge deal. If it happened on the first date, it happened on the first date. She thought it was dumb when magazines tried to insist that women would doom a relationship by putting out too early (or too late). But still, she had wanted to take things a little slower with Alex, seeing as it was her first real relationship with another woman.

Alex was too caught up in her imagination, thinking about all of the things she might ask to do to Maggie—deal or not, Maggie’s consent and happiness were still a priority. She wondered whether Maggie would be amenable to bringing out any of the toys from her drawer.

Maggie cleared her throat. “We’re at your place.”

“Oh!” Alex blushed scarlet. “Right, well, I guess I should go. I can’t entice you upstairs?”

Maggie shook her head. “You know I want to, but I really do need to get to my apartment. It’s been a long time since it saw me. I’ve got a plant or two to water, some of my own clothes to change into.”

“Right, right.” Alex scolded herself for trying to keep Maggie multiple days in a row.

“Maybe tomorrow you come up to me? I’ll cook dinner, and we can have a night to ourselves?”

“That sounds great!” Alex smiled. “Well, I guess this is goodnight. Thanks again for coming to Kara’s. It was great seeing you interact with everyone. They really liked you.”

“I actually had a lot of fun. I liked them too.” She didn’t want the night to end, though she felt exhaustion creeping into her bones. “Goodnight, Alex.”

“Goodnight, Maggie.”

Before Alex could get out of the car, Maggie pulled her in for a short, though not particularly chaste kiss. “Can’t wait to see you again.”

Alex shot her a big grin before climbing out of the car and walking toward her building. Maggie wondered when she fell so hard for this woman currently fumbling with her keys. Once she saw Alex had made it in the door, she drove off, already missing Alex’s presence but glad to have a solid night’s sleep ahead of her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanvers first time smut! 
> 
> All of this was written before 2x09, so apologies for any weird partial overlap/divergences

Saturday night felt different. Good different. Like the air was full of unvoiced but palpably felt possibilities. They made their way through dinner quickly, asking about each other’s days. Alex complimented the food, which was delicious as always. Maggie again voiced how much she had enjoyed game night. They talked briefly about Kara and Lena’s budding relationship, wondering what the world would do if they ever found out a Super was dating a Luthor, though Alex hoped that would never have to be the case.

When they finished eating and washing up the plates, Maggie asked, “Do you want dessert? Or do you want to do something first? We’ve got TV, movies, games, conversation?”

Alex shook her head. “Not really in the mood for dessert.”

Maggie shot Alex a look of amazement. From what she'd seen so far, Alex wasn’t one to pass up dessert. She wondered if Alex was feeling the same way she was, like tonight was never just about dinner or another date. She took a tentative step closer to Alex, feeling as nervous as she had the night she came to Alex’s apartment to ask for a second chance.

Alex closed the gap between them, though she kept her face a few inches away from Maggie’s. She could feel her heart pounding and was glad Maggie didn’t have Kara’s super-hearing. “Can I?” Alex began, but Maggie cut her off with a kiss.

The kiss was gentle but insistent, their bodies flush up against each other. Maggie felt like she couldn’t be close enough to Alex. Alex threaded her fingers through Maggie’s hair, letting her tongue flick across Maggie’s lips. “Bedroom?” Alex whispered.

Maggie nodded and in a flash, she had picked Alex up bridal style.

“How?” Alex exclaimed.

“I was a cop. Years of practice.”

Alex just grinned, excited to learn all the different things Maggie’s body could do. She kissed Maggie again, breaking away only while Maggie maneuvered them through the doorway. Maggie gently lowered Alex down onto her bed. She lay down next to her, kissing her again as she ran her hands gently up and down Alex’s body.

Alex let their legs tangle together as she pushed her body closer to Maggie’s. Her fingers played with the hem of Maggie’s shirt, wondering if it would be appropriate to remove it yet.

After a few more minutes, their kisses had become urgent, moving down jawlines and across throats, mixing with careful nips and soft moans.

“I need to feel you up against me,” Maggie whispered.

“Undress me.”

“You sure?”

“Please. I need to feel you too.”

Maggie nodded, understanding the sentiment completely. She carefully pulled Alex’s sweater over her head and sat back to allow Alex to remove her top as well. She unhooked Alex’s bra, pausing to admire the woman in front of her. She didn't think she would ever get used to the sight.

Alex moved her hands to Maggie’s thighs, running them up to her waist where she toyed with the button of Maggie’s jeans.

“You can take them off if you want.”

Alex eagerly popped open the button and pulled down the zipper, helping Maggie to kick them off and onto the floor. Alex felt her self grow increasingly needy as she caught sight of Maggie’s toned legs. She traced her fingers lightly across the smooth skin, letting them dip down to her inner thighs, pleased when she heard Maggie gasp and watched her abs contract.

Maggie rolled on top of Alex and moved down the taller woman’s body to remove her pants as well after a quick check in revealed Alex already eagerly nodding her consent. She drew her mouth up and around Alex’s long legs, letting out a low moan when she heard Alex gasping at her touch.

After a few minutes, Alex pulled Maggie back up, desperate to remove the final pieces of fabric still covering all of the parts of the other woman that she so desperately wanted to see, to touch, to taste. A second later, Maggie was left, like Alex, in just underwear. Everything from here out was new for them. Deciding to let Alex get used to where they were, Maggie pulled her close, kissing her passionately as she gave her hands free reign to roam the newly revealed expanses of delicate skin.

Alex wondered at how simply kissing could drive her wild. She felt like she could stay here like this forever, limbs intertwined with Maggie’s, heart racing, warm lips on hers. She almost objected when Maggie drew her mouth away, but then it began a gradual descent down her body.

Maggie ran her tongue across Alex’s collarbones, nipping gently at Alex’s neck. She left soft kisses up and down Alex’s upper arms and down the center of her chest. She languished wet kisses across Alex’s breasts, drawing her nipples into her mouth, sucking, licking, and nipping until she felt them harden into stiff peaks beneath her tongue. Maggie felt her heart race when she thought of what else she’d like to be using her tongue for. She began to move even lower, loving the feeling of Alex’s muscles tensing and relaxing beneath her touch. She nipped at Alex’s hipbones and let her tongue tease across the line where Alex’s underwear met her long torso.

Alex looked down in awe at the loving attention Maggie was lavishing on her body. She bit her lips, trying to hold back the gasping moans that threatened to erupt every time Maggie’s mouth made it to a new part of her body. Now, as Maggie’s tongue flicked teasingly under her waistband, so close to where she wanted, needed it to be, Alex wondered if it would be appropriate to beg.

Feeling Alex’s hips rolling and bucking under her, Maggie lifted her head up to meet Alex’s gaze. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“Please.”

“Please what?” Maggie didn’t mean to sound teasing, but she needed to hear Alex confirm that this—Maggie—was what she wanted. “What do you want?”

“You,” Alex breathed out. “Whatever you want. Please.”

“Just tell me if I should stop, okay?” Alex nodded.

Maggie gently pulled away the last barrier between them. She ran her fingers lightly through the soft brown curls left neatly trimmed. She fought back a smile, happy to see that Alex had anticipated tonight too. She let her fingers dance down Alex’s inner thighs, then back up when she heard an impatient whimper. Maggie had made her way back up to Alex’s face, and she kissed her softly while her fingers played around Alex’s entrance. She groaned when she felt how wet Alex already was.

Alex pulled back, “Is everything okay? Am I okay?”

“Alex, you’re perfect. I just, I want you so much.”

A small smile played on Alex’s lips. “I want you too.”

With a short kiss, Maggie moved down and came to rest between Alex’s legs. She kissed softly around everywhere but where Alex needed her, ignoring Alex’s swaying movements, her attempts to place herself directly under Maggie’s mouth. Maggie had always loved this part—the gentle teasing, the anticipation. But she found she needed more too. So when her tongue made its way back up Alex’s inner thigh, she brought her mouth to hover right above Alex’s pussy, letting her hot breath linger and tease the squirming redhead. Finally, she brought her tongue through Alex’s wet folds and up to her clit, making small circles before dipping back down.

Alex sighed in relief. She hadn’t known how much longer she would be able to last with all of the teasing. But now, now she had Maggie’s tongue on her, in her, and she felt like she could barely catch her breath. She gasped when she heard Maggie’s audible moans.

Maggie increased her pace, letting her movements grow more desperate and urgent. She could feel Alex getting wetter and wetter under her tongue. “You taste so good, baby,” she moaned into Alex. In response, Alex bucked her hips up to meet Maggie’s mouth, crying out with want. Maggie indulged her, letting her mouth open wider as she took in more of Alex, swirling her tongue around her entrance before moving back up to suck gently on her clit. She could hear Alex’s breath growing more labored as the woman beneath her tensed and twitched. “Do you want my fingers too?”

“Mhm,” Alex managed to get out between breathy moans. She groaned loudly when she felt a finger slip inside her. “Another,” she rasped out.

Maggie was in heaven. Everything about this moment was so much better than she could have ever imagined. She let her two fingers pick up speed, thrusting into Alex’s soaking wet pussy as she sucked her clit into her mouth, letting her tongue flick quickly across and around the sensitive bud. When she felt long fingers tangle in her hair, desperately pulling her further into her, Maggie almost lost it. She could feel how wet she was getting, an insistent pulse throbbing between her legs, a heat pooling low inside of her. She picked up her pace slightly, letting her fingers curl up against Alex’s g-spot as she felt the woman tremble and tense around her.

Alex let out a strangled cry when she came, followed by a string of obscenities laced with Maggie’s name. She felt Maggie slip her fingers out and lick all around her pussy, leaving her trembling and utterly sated. She watched, slack-jawed, as Maggie took her fingers into her mouth, sucking them clean, licking every last drop of Alex off of her. She left wet kisses across Alex’s inner thighs, then moved back up to take Alex’s mouth in hers. Alex whimpered, tasting herself on Maggie’s tongue.

After a few minutes of kissing, Alex felt like she had finally regained control of her body. She still pulsed with desire, but she needed to make Maggie feel as good as she did. “Can I?” she asked, looking up into Maggie’s warm brown eyes.

Maggie nodded and licked her lips. “Only what you feel comfortable with.”

“I know. I have done this before, you know. I’m doing exactly what I want to do.”

Maggie fought back a pang of jealousy as she nodded. She had been with plenty of women—far more than the one Alex had been with—and Alex was choosing to be here with her now. Alex pulled down Maggie’s boyshorts, gasping as her mouth curled up into a self-satisfied smile when she saw the thread of arousal connecting Maggie to the fabric. She quickly pulled them the rest of the way down, throwing them onto the ground. Unable to wait and tease, Alex dove down, her tongue desperately licking and sucking at Maggie. She moaned loudly, finally tasting the woman whose body she had fantasized about for too long now. After a few minutes of enjoying feeling the woman beneath her buck her hips and pull Alex closer into her, Alex demanded, “What do you like? Tell me what to do.”

“You,” Maggie panted. “I want you. On me. Inside of me. Hard, please.”

Alex quickly complied sliding two fingers inside of the small brunette and, as soon as she got used to them there, began thrusting into her fast and hard. She continued her ministrations with her tongue, flicking up and around Maggie’s hard clit and listening for Maggie’s moans to guide her actions. Maggie pumped her hips more and more urgently, thrusting against Alex’s fingers, her own hands buried in Alex’s hair. With a grunt and a loud exhale, Maggie’s body collapsed around Alex, shuddering a few more times before she gently pushed Alex’s hair out of her face and pulled her back up to the pillows where she greeted Alex with a gentle kiss.

“Wow,” Alex panted.

“Yeah. That was…really good.”

“Yeah. For you too?

“Definitely.”

\---

The next morning, Alex woke up to the smell of bacon and fresh coffee. She stumbled, nearly falling out of bed, completely naked and tangled in the sheets. Memories of the night before came flooding back to her. They had spent hours cuddling, talking, and fucking. Everything had felt so right. She finally felt like she had her romantic movie moment, and now, she figured, she would keep it going. She found one of Maggie’s pajama shirts and pulled in on, finding it a little baggy and perfect for the occasion.

“’Lo,” she yawned. Maggie glanced back to see Alex leaning in the doorway, her hair sticking out at odd angles in the back, wearing only a navy blue t-shirt—her navy blue t-shirt. Her eyes raked up and down Alex’s long bare legs. She licked her lips lasciviously when Alex turned to walk toward her and she saw that the gorgeous redhead was wearing only a shirt.

“Good morning to you too, Sleeping Beauty.”

“What time is it?” Alex was suddenly nervous. Perhaps she had overstayed her welcome.

“It’s like 10. Don’t worry. I just got up not too long ago myself. We were up late.”

“Yeah.” Alex smiled at the memories.

“I made some breakfast. I was going to do eggs too, or I could just put in some toast?”

“Eggs sound great. Scrambled? Do you want my help?”

“Nah, I’d rather start my morning without any kitchen fires,” Maggie teased.

Alex just nodded, not bothering to fight the characterization. She poured a cup of coffee for herself and one for Maggie, setting them down on the counter. “Take anything in your coffee?”

“Just a little bit of sugar, thanks.”

Alex added a bit of sugar into the mug and stirred. “How are you?”

“Oh, you know, a little stiff. Little tired.” She shrugged at the nervous look on Alex’s face before laughing. “I’m on fucking cloud 9, Alex. C’mon, you should know that. I got to spend the night with a woman I adore have absolutely amazing sex that just kept getting better. And now it’s a Sunday morning, and I’ve got a half-naked woman wearing my old sleeping shirt, somehow managing to make it look sexy. And that beautiful woman is standing in my kitchen, helping me get breakfast together, which we’re going to eat together. And then we’re going to enjoy the rest of the day, or at least part of it. I have to get some stuff ready for classes tomorrow, and I’m sure you do too. But still. How could I not be amazing this morning?”

Alex grinned. “I just like hearing you say it.”

And they spent the day exactly as Maggie had planned, eating breakfast together, talking, falling back into bed, a tangle of limbs. Finally, later that afternoon, they forced themselves to get out of bed and put on clothes.

“I should really go.”

“I should really let you go.”

“Yeah. Work to do.”

“Of course. Same.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“You too.” Alex turned to leave, but Maggie called back, “We’re still good for lunch tomorrow? The usual place?”

“Of course.” Alex beamed, unsure of how she got so lucky, but happy for all of it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter! Vicky comes back for coffee with Alex, then Eliza rolls into town for Thanksgiving! 
> 
> Also, the next couple of chapters are rather gratuitous smut (some plot snuck in there, but still mainly sex in droves). Your call if I just go for it and have a few chapters in a row of smut or if I try to figure out how to add appendices. Let me know!

The week flew by in a haze of appointments and meetings as everyone rushed to get ready and off of campus before Thanksgiving. Maggie and Alex made time for each other to get coffee and lunch, but they both found themselves stuck at work later than they’d normally like to be, grading papers to get back to students before they left for the break, attending end-of-semester meetings, consoling nervous students during office hours.

On Tuesday, Alex made a point of getting coffee with Vicky. They’d continued to text, though less often than Alex had meant to, but she wanted to tell Vicky in person about how everything was going with Maggie.

As soon as they got off campus and into some new tea shop that Vicky had heard about, she turned Alex around and asked, “So? You and Maggie are together, right?”

“What? How do you do that?”

“I am observant, Al. Also, you basically dropped off the planet for a week, which can only mean one thing: you died, or you fell into your first serious lesbian relationship.”

“The latter. Though there was that attack on my lab.”

“Oh my god, I heard! I went over to see if you were alright, but they would only tell me that you were fine, not what happened.”

Alex gave Vicky all the details she was allowed to reveal, assuring her that she was okay, though Maggie had been grazed by a bullet.

“It could have been her Tara moment, but you saved her!”

“Her what?”

“Oh, you’ll see. Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright…” Alex continued on with her story, filling Vicky in on all of the details about her new relationship with Maggie. “You’re okay, right?”

“I told you, Alex, I was rooting for you guys! Don’t get me wrong, we had fun, and if you’re ever looking for a third, I’d be totally down, but I’m not jealous. Besides, I actually have someone…”

“Who?” Alex asked, genuinely excited for her friend.

“Well, I actually met her when I went to go check on you after the attack in your lab. You know Donna?”

“The accountant?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Very much so. Apparently she’d noticed me the couple of times when I met you at your office to grab coffee. And then she saw me again when I was asking after you. She asked if I was your girlfriend, to which I obviously said no, though I did wonder if I might get more answers that way. But I said no and made it clear that, you know, I played for that team. She just laughed and told me she figured as much. And yeah, so, I asked her out, and we’ve been casually dating since then. It’s still not serious, but she’s a lot of fun. She’s chatty and really smart. Did you know that her other major in undergrad was English Lit?”

“No. I didn’t even know she was gay.”

“Yeah. Or at least, she is now.”

Alex laughed. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ll have to be nicer to Donna now when she sends back rejected budgets because I didn’t use the right formatting.”

“Aww, so considerate,” Vicky teased. “I do like her, though. The sex is amazing!”

“TMI!”

“Really, Al?” She dropped her voice, aware that they were still in a public place somewhat close to campus. “We fucked for like two days straight, and you let me introduce you to the wonderful world of sex toys. You’re gonna tell me my vague description of sex with Donna is TMI?”

“No, no. I think I’ve been spending too much time with Kara. Who, by the way, also not straight?”

“The sapphic sisters. Well done!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think she’s a lesbian. Maybe bi or something? She’s not sure. But she’s dating Lena Luthor.”

“No way!”

“Yes! It’s still pretty new, but I have to say, they’re cute together.”

“I assume you’ve already threatened to kill her if she hurts Kara?”

“Of course. First thing I did, actually.”

“You’re still the same overprotective big sister you were back then.”

“Yeah…but tell me more about Donna! I do want to know. Plus, I want to tell you all about Maggie!”

The two whispered back and forth about their adventures, giggling like teenagers, not caring at all that some of the older patrons were giving them odd looks. After a while, Vicky caught sight of the time. “Shit! I really need to get back to campus for my last class!”

“Don’t you have Wednesday classes?”

“Day before Thanksgiving? No one ever shows.”

“Eh, I like to keep mine on their toes. I know only half of them will be there, but it’s still a school day.”

“Party pooper,” Vicky teased, sticking her tongue out at Alex.

“You like me anyway.”

“I do. You headed back to Midvale too?”

“Nope, my mother is coming to town. Yippee!”

“You sound so enthused. Well, I’ll pass on your best to the town. When I get back, let’s do coffee? Maybe you can bring Maggie?”

“Sounds great. Safe travels!”

“Enjoy your time with Eliza!” Vicky teased.

\---

When the alarm went off on Thanksgiving morning, Alex hit snooze as fast as she could and curled into Maggie. “I don’t want to do today. Let’s not. Let’s stay in bed and re-do last night instead.”

“Mmm, tonight, babe. Today, we’ve got things to do. Plus, what would the kids do without the volunteers?”

“Okay, well what if we did the volunteering thing, and then came back home? It’s the perfect solution.”

“Alex,” Maggie warned. “You told Kara you would be there. And if we don’t show up, what will they do without our sweet potato casserole?”

“I’m sure my mother would be just as happy without it. Kara will make something better.”

“I’ll make sure everyone knows that I think your dish is the best.”

“You made my dish.”

“Exactly.”

Their morning went well, though Alex found herself rather distracted, her stomach clenching with anxiety about not only telling her mother she was gay, but also just dealing with the woman in general. There was always something she did that needed to be addressed, compared to Kara, be found lacking in some way or another. The hours at the shelter were the best. They kept her busy, running large containers of food up to the front, scrubbing dishes, and packing up to-go plates for the kids to have later that night. She loved watching Maggie interact with them, getting to see a new side of her that was softer than what she normally showed to the world. She had a way of getting the kids to let their guards down, even the teenagers who had built up a layer of armor to deflect the hatred and bigotry of the world. Alex chastised herself too. Her mother might prefer Kara, but she still loved Alex, even if she didn’t show it in the best of ways. These kids had been through so much worse at such a young age; she should be grateful more often.

By the time she got home, however, she felt her anxiety gnawing at her again. “Maggie, please don’t make me do it!”

“Do what? Go? Come out? You have to go. You don’t have to come out. To your mother I can be your friend. I don’t want that to always be the case, but I also don’t want to push you to come out. It needs to be on your schedule, okay? So you do whatever you feel comfortable with today. I’ll stand by you.”

“But we still have to go?”

“We still have to go,” Maggie confirmed.

An hour later, they found themselves outside of Kara’s apartment, once again pacing the hallway, trying to build up the courage to go inside. Alex clenched her jaw, braced herself, and pushed open the door with a forced smile. Kara ran to greet them, pulling both women into a big hug before she darted back to the kitchen to tend to the dishes still cooking.

Alex saw her mom make her way over to them. “Alex, dear! You’re looking a little tired. Are you still putting in those long hours in the office?” Alex rolled her eyes and grabbed for the bottle of wine on the counter, though Maggie was able to steal the corkscrew before Alex could reach it. Standing there with a now somewhat useless corked bottle, Alex nodded, “Yes, Mom, still doing my research. Still like my job.”

But Eliza wasn’t paying attention to Alex anymore, her attention having been caught by the small brunette standing next to Alex, clutching a casserole dish in one hand and a corkscrew in another. “You’ve brought someone?”

Alex braced herself. Seeing Alex’s nerves, Maggie cut in, putting the corkscrew down to extend a hand. “Hi, Mrs. Danvers. My name is Maggie. I’m, uh,” she stuttered, wondering how she should introduce herself. Noting the grimace on Alex’s face, she decided to go with “a friend from work,” but Eliza cut in first.

“Alex’s girlfriend?” Eliza offered helpfully.

Alex let go of the bottle, though Kara caught it before it could smash against the floor. Alex just stood there, her mouth gaping. “What?” she finally managed.

“My darling girl,” Eliza began, running her hands through Alex’s short hair, “I don’t know why it’s been so hard for you to tell me. You talk about Maggie a lot. Even if she’s just a friend in your stories, I can hear how happy she makes you.”

Maggie gave a shy smile, edging back into the kitchen to join Kara and give Alex some time alone with her mother.

“I just,” Alex swallowed heavily, trying to find the words she needed to say. “I’m always disappointing you. I just didn’t want you to think of how I was failing you again. Because I couldn’t be the normal daughter you always wanted.”

“Oh, Alex. I never wanted you to be normal; I wanted you to be happy. Look at your family. Nothing about us is normal. Nothing about most families is normal. But you are so much more than that. I always knew you were destined for more. Because you were always going to be exceptional.”

Alex tried not to crack, but she could feel a few tears gathering. She gave her mom a watery smile and checked, “Really?”

Eliza answered with her actions, wrapping Alex into a big hug as she whispered, “Absolutely.” She pulled away, wiping her eyes as well. Seeing the moment was coming to a close, Maggie moved back to Alex’s side in time to hear Eliza say, “Now, how about you let me get to know the woman who’s made you so happy these past few months.”

“Months?” Maggie asked.

“No!” Alex cried out, trying to motion for her mom to stop talking.

Eliza, choosing to ignore the looks her daughter was shooting her, continued, “Yes. I believe you began as someone who rather annoyed her, but even then, she wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

Trying to make Alex feel better (though Maggie was loving every second of it), Maggie chimed in, “You know? My mom had a similar reaction. Couldn’t believe that I still hadn’t asked her out after gushing about her for so long.”

“Not to interrupt the moment,” Kara chimed in, “but now is probably as good a time as any, or really, the last few minutes I’ll have to say something, but I also have someone coming to dinner.”

“Really?” Eliza asked. This one was an even bigger surprise. Maggie’s presence had surprised her, but she hadn’t heard her younger daughter talk about anyone lately. “Are you back with James?”

Kara shook her head. “Um, no, so, here’s the thing. My guest person is also a woman.”

“Oh,” Eliza said, slightly surprised. It didn’t bother her, but she had only heard about the boys Kara dated. “Is it that Cat woman you work for? Is that what all those late nights were about?”

Alex let out a loud laugh, glad to see Kara being put in the spotlight for a change.

“No!” Kara spluttered. “Dean Grant and I are, no, just no. I don’t think about her like that. I mean, yes, she’s pretty. But she’s not, she’s, I think she’s been married to multiple men. Not at the same time! I just mean, over time.”

“I’m sorry, clearly I misunderstood the sheer amount of time you spent talking about her and how wonderful she is and how much good she does for the university.”

“Right. Yes. She’s just my mentor. That’s all.”

“So then, who is it?”

“Oh. Her name is Lena…Lena Luthor.”

Her mother arched an eyebrow and turned to Alex.

“She knows who Kara is. I had the same reaction, but she’s proven herself to be loyal to Kara. And not at all like her brother or her mother.” To reassure her mother further, Alex added, “She also knows that if she does anything to jeopardize Kara or Supergirl’s well-being, she will find herself face-to-face with a scientist with a chest of weapons in her lab.”

“Good,” Eliza nodded. “As long as that’s settled, then I will be happy to meet Lena. Now, just for clarification, are you both gay?”

“I am,” Alex chimed in.

“I’m not. Let’s just stick with queer. Very much enamored with a woman?”

“I’m a lesbian, have been for a while,” Maggie threw in for good measure.

“Good to know. I’m straight, but clearly have done an excellent job raising some non-straight children.”

Everyone was still laughing when they heard a knock at the door. Kara flew to get it. “Lena!” she exclaimed, pulling the raven-haired woman into a hug. “You made it!”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she said in that low voice of hers. “I brought pie.”

“Chocolate pecan?”

“That is what you asked for.”

“It’s the best pie in the galaxy. I would know.”

“I also brought a pumpkin pie, just in case anyone wanted to be traditional.”

Alex smiled at Lena. “Well done, you’ve just earned a place on my good side for the evening.” That thought made Lena happier than she’d care to admit.

Over the next few minutes, Lena and Maggie helped Eliza to set the table, both of them trying to get on the woman’s good side. Alex pulled all the dishes out onto the counter while Kara heated up the casserole and the turkey with her heat vision. Right as Kara was about to text, Winn came running through the door, holding a bag of dinner rolls. “I got them! Don’t worry! I forgot, but I went back for them, and now they’re here. With me.”

Kara laughed, pulling Winn into a hug. “Thank you! You know I like my carbs.”

“Dr. Danvers, it’s good to see you again,” Winn added, reaching out to Eliza.

“Please, it’s Eliza. And that goes for you two as well,” Eliza said, looking at Lena and Maggie, both of whom smiled and nodded. “How have you been? Are you liking the new job?”

“It’s amazing, really! Not that I’d say any different with Alex here. Well, Alex and Maggie. But honestly, I love teaching. Research and IT was fun, but it’s nice to have kids to mentor. And they help keep me hip with all the new video games.”

“As if you didn’t obsessively follow the blogs already,” Kara teased.

Alex, in a much better mood than she had expected to be in, clapped him on the back, pulling him in to a side hug. “We’re glad to have you. You’ve been a real asset to the Department. And to Kara and our family.”

Winn smiled broadly and colored at the unexpected compliment. Trying to deflect attention, he joked, “I know I’m not your favorite new faculty member, though.”

“We can’t all look like this,” Maggie laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“But I’m so glad you do,” Alex said softly, biting her lip as she pulled Maggie close to her.

After a few more minutes of chatting, Kara grew impatient at the wait for food. “Can we, um, maybe eat? It would be a shame to let the food get cold.”

“As if you couldn’t just reheat it instantly?” Alex teased. But she moved to the table, dragging Maggie over to sit beside her.

Once they had all taken their seats and made their plates, Kara raised a glass. She gave a short toast, then asked that while they began eating, everyone go around the table to say what they’re thankful for this year. “I can start,” Kara offered. “I’m thankful for my friends and family, for how caring everyone here is. I’m thankful to have Lena in my life and a brave sister who showed me that I can love who I want to love without fear.”

Everyone aww-ed, and Winn raised his cup, “I’m also grateful for everyone here, especially Kara and Alex for pushing me to apply to NCU. And, as per usual, I’m grateful to have been informally adopted into the Danvers family for the day to enjoy all the great food—heat-vision-cooked and all!”

Lena nervously tapped at her cup, looking around the table as though she regretted her decision to speak until Kara wrapped her hand around Lena’s. “I, well, I’m grateful for those here who see me as more than my last name. And, like Winn, I’m also grateful to have been taken in for the day to a warm and loving family. And last but not least, I’m so happy to have met Kara; it’s only been a few weeks together, but already she makes everyday a little brighter.” Kara leaned in, giving Lena a small kiss on the cheek and a big smile.

Maggie saw her chance to jump on the significant others train, and began, “I’m also grateful for the Danvers women. Alex in particular has made my move to National City and to a new profession so much easier, and she’s made my life so much better.”

Blushing, Alex chimed in, “I’m not one for big thank you speeches, but I’m grateful for Maggie this year. And everyone else who helped me see things more clearly.” Even though her tone was curt, Maggie saw her words for what they meant and wrapped her arm around Alex’s shoulders, letting her head rest on her shoulder.

Eliza jumped in here: “I’m so grateful for the women who have made both of my daughters very happy. And to everyone who has kept them safe through the adventures of the past year, which I know includes you, Winn, though you’re being too modest to admit it. Thank you for keeping my family together.”

Once everyone had finished, they devoted their full attention to the food, tossing out compliments about the various dishes as the conversation lulled to pleasantries. Alex was pleased to hear her (well, Maggie’s) sweet potato casserole receiving high praise. The usual few jokes were made about Kara’s seventh helping of everything on the table, though she just narrowed her eyes in a sad attempt at a glare, too happy and full to be mad at anyone.

Both Maggie and Lena smiled, happy to see that none of the tension they had expected had come to pass. Lena’s only memories of family Thanksgivings were of very formal affairs, catered by their full kitchen staff. She had been forced to wear her Sunday best, and no one at the table spoke to one another. There would be some cursory toast about being grateful for the company’s financial success, as well as a nod to Lex’s accomplishments, but that was as thankful as her family ever got. Maggie missed her big family Thanksgivings—the cousins tearing through the house, preparing skits to perform for the whole family; a fire crackling in the hearth once her grandmother decided it had gotten too cold to rely on the heat alone; too many aunts to count asking her why she wasn’t eating enough, why she was so skinny, when she would bring a girlfriend home to meet them, though all the questions were asked out of love. Sure, she hadn’t been to too many Thanksgivings since leaving, but she had fond enough memories. Of course she recalled the fights and drunken insults that inevitably resulted when you had that many people under one roof, but somehow all was generally forgiven in the next week or two.

When Maggie shook herself out of her thoughts, she realized that Kara and Lena had begun clearing the empty dishes. As she stood to help, she heard Eliza talking to Alex: “Well, dear, I am certainly glad to see you having less…fun this year.”

Maggie was a bit confused by the wording, though she assumed it was probably a reference to how drunk Kara said Alex used to get at family holidays. She saw Alex tense next to her. She had been so proud of Alex for staying sober all night; she worried this would be the moment that might break Alex. Even if Maggie suspected that Eliza meant no harm by the comment, the tone she used certainly wasn’t the best. Maggie ran a hand reassuringly across Alex’s thigh, hoping to calm her down.

Alex clenched her jaw, making Winn scurry for the kitchen, and shot a tense half-smile half-grimace back at her mother. “With Maggie here, there are plenty of other ways I can have fun now, no whiskey needed.”

Maggie felt her stomach clench, and she dropped her gaze, looking studiously at the floor and avoiding Eliza’s face entirely. She knew rationally that she and Alex were both adults, but it didn’t stop her from panicking about how that comment might affect Eliza’s opinion of her. Alex was still her daughter. She was now hyperaware of the fact that her hand was on Alex’s thigh, but she worried that hastily removing it would only draw attention to the fact that it had been there, making what had been a comforting touch into something suspect.

After a few tense moments, Eliza snorted. Maggie chanced a glance up and saw that Eliza was shaking her head, a faint smile playing across her lips. “You always did throw yourself into your pursuits rather single-mindedly, Alexandra.”

Alex blushed at this. She had meant to challenge her mother, to make her as uncomfortable as she felt, but she hadn’t quite meant to bring up something like sex with her either. Or at least not in such a way that it might be acknowledged as such. She decided to ignore the subtle switch to “Alexandra,” and made a small noise, rushing off to help Kara in the kitchen.

Alex’s rapid departure left Maggie alone with Eliza at the table. “Er,” Maggie stumbled over her words, “I should, um, I should help. In the kitchen. I’m great at doing the dishes.”

“No, stay,” Eliza instructed. “Help me gather the rest of the dishes here.”

“Okay,” Maggie squeaked.

“Now, I know that Alex was merely trying to unnerve me. We have a bit too much in common for these types of events to go off entirely without a hitch. But the fact remains, she will always be my baby girl. I am not some squeamish parent who acts as though her children will remain celibate until the age of 40, and I know my daughter didn’t exactly proceed through graduate school with the healthiest of attitudes toward certain bars and excess. Hell,” she laughed, “I used to be able to hear her and that friend of hers, Vicky something, up at all hours of the night, talking about kissing and more with those boyfriends they had, until prom when I finally had to put in some headphones to sleep, lest I hear something no mother should ever have to hear.” Maggie flushed and tried to bite back a smirk, wondering if she should taunt Alex about this later. “But, she is my baby. If you hurt her, you will have someone far less cheery than my other daughter coming after you. As it stands now, I can see how happy you make her. The change is truly remarkable. You’ve even convinced her to stop drinking, though please, I beg of you, I have no desire to know your methods. So do me a favor and continue to make her happy. And we’ll never have to speak of this conversation again. Agreed?”

Maggie nodded quickly before adding, “Agreed, Dr. Danvers.”

“Eliza is still just fine, Maggie.”

“Right. Thank you, Eliza. She really is a remarkable woman.”

“She is my daughter. How could she be anything less?” Alex returned just in time to hear that comment, ducking her head down and smiling, too pleased with the compliments. “Now, how about you too take the last of the dishes to the kitchen? I’ll pack up the leftovers.”

“Kara has been alone in the kitchen with them…there might not be any leftovers.”

“Hey!” Kara yelled. “I can hear you guys. Almost everything is still here.” Eliza chuckled as she made her way into the kitchen, quickly stealing the bowl of mashed potatoes back from Kara.

“So,” Alex began once they were alone again, “What were you two talking about?”

“Nothing you want to know about, Al. Trust me.”

“Sorry for leaving you alone with her.”

“It’s fine. I mean, you’ll pay for it later. But it’s fine. She really does care about you.” And, as a bit of payback for abandoning her, Maggie let a wicked smirk take over her face. Dropping her voice to a very low whisper, she added, “Back in high school? You weren’t as quiet as you thought.”

Alex looked confused for a moment before blushing deeply, her face nearly matching the maroon of her sweater. “Oh my god, I think I might throw up.”

“Please don’t. No one wants to see that.”

“Okay, not throwing up. But still. Panicking. Maybe we should have a drink. Right? I think I deserve one.”

“Alex,” Maggie began, her voice soft but warning, “you can do this sober. Your mom doesn’t care. It was over twelve years ago. Plus, she put in headphones, so she didn’t actually hear you lose your virginity, just, you know, the conversation that led up to it.”

“You’re not helping!”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. I had to tease you just a little. C’mon, it means she really doesn’t care that you’re gay. She’s known way longer than you did! But all parents inevitably come to terms with the fact that their kids have sex.” Alex looked unconvinced and still rather upset.

Now that all of the dishes had been cleared, Maggie dragged Alex over to the sofa.“Here, sharing time. My dad who, by the way, wasn’t all that pleased about my being gay at first, well, one year I made the trip back from Gotham for some holiday or another. I think the winter ones. Well, I brought Kate with me—the first girlfriend they’d met in a serious way. One night we had gone out with some of my friends from back home who had left Nebraska and were also back visiting. We got a little tipsy, as one does sometimes when out with friends, rehashing the crazy shit that we used to get up to in high school. When we got back—a friend drove us, don’t worry—I guess we were a little past tipsy at that point. We decided we should really eat food to be responsible adults. While we were waiting for pizza to heat up, we got a little…frisky. Long story short, my dad heard a lot of noises coming from the kitchen and worried it was robbers or something. He came down, shotgun in hand, only to find his daughter in a very compromising situation." Alex let out a small gasp, her cheeks flushing in secondhand embarrassment. "We never talked about it. It was the last holiday Kate spent with us, though not the reason we broke up. The next day, he just handed me a beer and gave me a nod. I think that was the moment I was sure that he really was okay with the whole lesbian thing. Not the way I’d ever choose to find that out, but still. It happens. You get over it.”

Alex shrugged, though she looked significantly better than she had at the start of the story. “I guess. Hopefully Kara will just chat all through dessert. Maybe there will be an alien attack that requires a scientist!” Maggie shook her head at Alex, laughing softly. “Whatever, it’s fine. I’m allowed to be in shock after finding out that literally my worst fear about that night came true!”

“What? That everyone in your high school found out you were a big lez?”

“Okay, well, both of my worst fears. That and the fact that somehow my mother would know.”

“Yes, and you’re 30. I think she’ll deal.”

“Fine, fine! Also, I never want to know about you and Kate, okay? Or like, nothing about your sex life again.”

“Deal, Danvers.”

The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully, and soon enough, Maggie and Alex were back on the road, the back seat full of leftovers that Eliza had insisted they take, much to Kara’s chagrin.

“Thanks for coming with me, Mags.”

“Of course. I really did enjoy getting to meet your mom and spend time with you.”

“You’re sweet.”

“I’m honest. I know you guys don’t get along that well, but you’re also pretty similar.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me!”

“In the best of ways! She’s a big part of the reason why you’re the strong woman I lo—like so much,” Maggie recovered.

“Yeah? Well, if you like me so much, I hope you remember our deal.”

“What deal?” Maggie teased.

Alex looked unamused. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Sawyer.”

“Ooh! It’s Sawyer now?” Seeing Alex’s glare she relented. “Yes, of course I remember. How could I forget? I had my own motivations for wanting you to stay sober today. Besides the obvious one of making sure you saw that you could do it, that you could face your mom and come out and have a stressful evening with her, all without any outside assistance.”

“I had you.”

“Eh, I help, but not that much.”

“With the right motivation, I think you helped a lot. But,” Alex’s tone grew more serious, “it was nice to see that I could do today on my own. Ever since my dad died, holidays have just been harder. But today felt a little better again. I felt a little stronger. And thanks. For that. For making me know that…being me was enough.”

“Of course.” Maggie parked the car and pulled Alex into a big hug, helping her unload all of the dishes and carry them upstairs.

Once they had everything put away, Alex turned back to Maggie with a slightly predatory look in her eyes. “I’m ready for my reward now.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the smut begin! This chapter is smutty but rather tame (especially since some plot/fluff snuck in)...they'll get kinkier over the weekend ;)

Even though Alex had been looking forward to claiming her reward all day, both women found themselves exhausted Thanksgiving night. After putting away the leftovers and brushing their teeth, they stumbled into Alex’s bedroom, collapsing into the bed.

“Maggie?” Alex asked a few minutes later, making sure the smaller woman was still awake.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for today.”

“Of course.”

Alex propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at Maggie properly. “No really, I mean it. I don’t think, I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so cared for by someone other than Kara.”

Maggie pulled Alex down into her arms, whispering, “I do care about you. Of course I care about you. Kara and your mom do too, but I know sometimes it can be harder to see with parents. They want the best for us, so it gets difficult to toe that line between protecting and criticizing. But I’m always here for you to remind you that someone else is looking out.”

“I feel like we’ve been together for a really long time in moments like these. Is that weird?”

“Maybe? But I feel it too. I think we danced around the idea of an ‘us’ for so long, for months where we acted like a couple in almost all respects, that it just sort of feels like an extension of that time.”

“Yeah, I get that. Things just felt so easy with you. Even when I was struggling just to tell you about Vicky or fighting you on your movie choices.”

“You loved my movie choices,” Maggie teased.

“I did. Eventually.” Alex laughed. 

“But things felt easy with you too. I might have been an out and proud lesbian from the start, but I don’t exactly open up too often. Even with the women I date. But you made it feel…more normal. Hell, I even cooked and cleaned with you. And you made it fun! Part of me wants to ask you what sort of witchcraft you’re practicing to turn me domestic, Danvers!”

“Well clearly it’s not working that well. I had to wait until a near-death experience for you to come around to kissing me.”

“I wanted us to work.”

“Getting soft on me, Sawyer?”

“For you? Yeah, maybe.” Maggie pulled Alex into a kiss. It was gentle and sleepy, but it felt like exactly what Maggie needed right then. She let Alex roll onto her side, as she traced her thumb across Alex’s high cheekbones, then raked her fingers through her short hair.

Alex pulled herself tighter into Maggie’s embrace, letting her hand roam Maggie’s lower back as her other hand grasped at the front of Maggie’s shirt. 

They stayed like that for a while, the kiss gradually deepening, even though the movement of their hands remained slow and deliberate. 

Eventually Maggie realized that her exhaustion was losing out to the need that had been building through their kiss. She tugged gently at the waist of Alex’s pants, hoping she would catch her drift. Alex bit Maggie’s lower lip gently, sliding her hands up to Maggie’s chest. 

“If you’re too tired, though,” Maggie began. Alex shook her head, sliding her hands down Maggie’s torso to her hips. 

“I want you too. Just…sleepy.”

“Sleepy sex is fine with me.” Maggie smiled softly up at Alex. “Tomorrow we’ll get down to whatever your heart desires.”

“I’m down to desire sleepy sex right about now.” They slowly kicked off their pajama pants, though they kept on their t-shirts, both of them suspecting that if they threw them to the ground, they’d never get the energy up to go find them later. 

Maggie slowly rolled on top of Alex, who chuckled in response. “You know, I believe you once talked about me topping you like it was some sort of challenge. If I knew that all I had to do was roll…”

“Shush. I’m tired. But I need you too. So shh. Tomorrow I can show you the extent to which I can top. If you want to,” Maggie added, letting her hand drift down and through Alex’s soft curls.

“I could be amenable to that.” 

Alex sighed in contentment as Maggie’s fingers finally found her entrance, one sliding softly in, as another circled her clit lightly. The softness was exactly what Alex wanted right now. Maggie pressed gentle kisses across Alex’s neck, moving intermittently back to her mouth to leave sweet kisses there as well. She trailed around Alex’s jaw, letting her tongue tease Alex’s earlobe as her breathy moans floated up to Alex’s ear. Alex let out a soft whine, jerking her hips against Maggie’s hand. “Faster?”

Maggie complied, grinding into Alex’s thigh as she pumped her hand faster, feeling Alex tense around her. She added a second finger, and moments later felt Alex come undone at her hands, trembling softly with a gasp before falling back into the pillows. 

The sight underneath her pushed Maggie all the way to the edge, leaving her trembling with need on top of Alex. “Please,” she whispered.

Alex fluttered her eyes open. “Yeah! Of course! What can I do?” Alex felt guilty for leaving Maggie uncared for, even just for a moment.

Maggie was so close, she didn’t know if she would make it to Alex’s hands, so she asked softly, “Just hold me? Kiss me.”

Alex pulled Maggie in tight, letting her tongue play across Maggie’s lips. Maggie thrust against Alex’s hips, tensing before crashing down, feeling the tension that had built up during the evening be released, as she let out a breathless moan into Alex’s mouth.

“Do you need more?” Alex asked, feeling bad that she hadn’t done much.

“No, I’m good. We’re both exhausted. Plus, now you have your proof that I don’t exactly last long on top of you either.”

Alex smiled, fighting back the slight blush that colored her cheeks at the memory. “Yes, yes. I’m glad I have that effect on you too.”

“Always,” Maggie yawned, curling tightly into Alex’s side. Within minutes, Alex could hear Maggie’s breathing even out as the woman relaxed completely into her. Alex placed a kiss on her forehead, getting comfortable herself and flicking off the bedside lamp.

\---

The next morning, Alex woke up with a smile on her face, seeing Maggie curled into her, still sleeping soundly. Noting that it was still fairly early, Alex carefully pried her arm out from under the smaller woman, trying not to wake her. She ran to the bathroom, then debated returning to bed or trying to do something nice for Maggie for breakfast. She decided that she should make it up to the brunette for all of the breakfasts and meals she had cooked. Although her cooking skills had improved with Maggie’s lessons, she hadn’t gotten any training on breakfast foods. Resolving to ask for some of those recipes next, Alex pulled on a pair of pants and a coat, stumbling in the dark as she looked for shoes. She scrawled out a short note—“Ran out to get breakfast. Be back soon!”—and headed out the door.

Alex decided to just head to the bakery a few blocks away in the hopes that she’d be back before Maggie woke up. She recognized the barista as Sarah, a grad student in the Bio Department who was due to graduate this year, and waved. 

“Hey Alex!” Sarah called out. “You want the usual?”

Alex made a note to really try cooking more often…if she had gotten to the point of being a regular here, she could probably save a ton of money by cutting back to a once-a-week indulgence, rather than an almost daily one. “Actually, no. Give me a minute to look.”

“Wow, look at you changing it up. What’s the occasion?”

Alex blushed. “Uh, just have some company.”

“Company this early in the morning?” Sarah sent her a big grin.

“I am your professor,” Alex chastised, though her tone was still light.

“Correction: You were my professor. Four years ago. I was your first ever class, remember? Besides, I’m maybe two years younger than you, if that, and with any luck, I’ll be graduating this May, so you’ll never have to worry about me being a student again.”

“Very persuasive. Still not telling you about my personal life.”

“Then I guess I won’t be able to pick what he’ll like…”

“She,” Alex corrected, not quite thinking.

“Yes! Gabby owes me twenty bucks now.”

“Excuse me?” Alex asked, slightly offended to hear that two of the baristas were apparently betting on her love life.

“Oh, nothing. Gabby just bet that you wouldn’t come out for a lot longer. I bet her that you already were out, just quiet about it.”

“Yeah, well. Maybe neither of you should get the money.”

“Aww, you’re a baby gay?”

“Excuse me. I am thirty years old.”

“Okay, nope. That means we’re the same age, so I can totally tease you.”

“You’re my age?” Alex asked, slightly surprised. The woman looked rather young.

“Yeah, well, working in a coffee shop will do that to you. No, but seriously, I took a couple years off to work at a start up before going back to school. And if there’s any culture that tells you being forever young is the end goal? It’s the start up world. Bunch of tech bros in t-shirts and cargo shorts.”

“Gross.”

“You’re telling me. And they thought that just because I was a lesbian, I’d be down to objectify women with them. It was so not my scene.”

Alex softened. Somehow hearing that the other woman, who was her age, was also gay made the teasing much easier to take. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Hopefully NCU has been a welcome change of pace.”

“Yes, it really has. Plus we’ve got our fair share of gays here. Not as many as the English Department, but still.”

Alex snorted, resisting the urge to over-share with the friendly woman behind the counter. “I imagine they fare a bit better than us, yes, but they have professors in things like queer cinema, so it’s a little unfair.”

“Preaching to the choir here.”

“Anyway, I should get back to…my guest. I guess, could I get a bagel, a muffin, a croissant, a—”

Sarah cut her off. “Are you going to order one of everything? Maybe you should just stick to a couple of our bestsellers?”

Alex blushed. “Yes, I suppose that’s fine. Just give me a few things, plus two medium black coffees, no room in either one.”

“So you know her coffee order, but not her breakfast order? Sounds about right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Please, you’re the biggest workaholic in the Department. Besides maybe Hank. And I stress: maybe.”

Alex rolled her eyes, though she didn’t fight the characterization. A few minutes later, Sarah handed her a bag and her two coffees. Alex reached out to pay, but Sarah just shook her head. “It’s on me today. Congrats on coming out, baby gay.” Sarah shot her a wide smile and a wink, ignoring Alex’s pursed lips.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Trust me. You spend so much money here, I think you can have one day on us.”

Alex blushed, but smiled and muttered her thanks. She tossed a $5 bill in the tip jar and waved goodbye to Sarah.

“See you around the Department! Maybe we could grab coffee soon?”

Alex turned around, slightly startled. 

Sarah laughed, “Not like that. Sorry, I should have clarified. I think my wife would be more than a little annoyed if I was asking someone else out on a date. I more meant that it would be nice to get your opinion on moving forward with my PhD. I’ve gotten a couple tentative offers from labs, but I think I might like to teach too.”

“Oh!” Alex blushed. “Of course. I’d be happy to meet. Just send me an email.” 

By the time Alex got home, Maggie was out of bed, sitting cross-legged on the couch as she scrolled through the news on her phone. She looked up when Alex opened the door, smiling to see the coffees. She promptly grabbed one of the cups and took the bag from Alex, letting her lock the door more easily. 

“What’d you get me?” Maggie asked with a grin.

“I, well, actually I’m not sure. Sarah, one of the grad students, she actually picked them out. I wasn’t sure what you’d like best, so she gave me the bestsellers.”

“Aww, that’s sweet. Though you should know for the future: I love any and all breakfast items. Except ones with raisins. But my favorites are cinnamon scones. I can show you how to make them one day.”

“That would be fun!”

“Sarah…is she the one with the blue streak in her hair? The lesbian?”

“How do you know that?” Alex exclaimed, feeling slightly incredulous. “You’ve been here for, like, four months.”

“Well, if the hair didn’t tip you off, she did bring her wife to one of the LGBTQ Center events for the grad students and faculty.”

“I didn’t know there was a Center…”

“Yeah, there’s a whole wide world out there if you care to join us. Vicky shows up sometimes.”

“Huh. I’ll have to make an appearance.”

“I’m sure some people will be very glad to see you finally make that leap.”

“Is everyone betting on my sexuality?” Alex whined.

“Not everyone,” Maggie laughed. “But we have a couple queer grad students in the Department who I’m sure would be very happy to find another friendly face at Center events. Especially in the sciences, things are tough. NCU is great and welcoming, but these kids know that the rest of the country isn’t always as open-minded. Especially for women and people of color, you throw queer on top of all that? It’s a lot.” Alex wrapped Maggie up into her arms, knowing that the woman had fought her way through all of that. She felt her respect for Maggie increase daily. 

When Alex released Maggie, they settled into the couch with the assortment of pastries they had discovered in the bag. Biting into a cream cheese-filled chocolate muffin, Alex rolled her eyes back in pleasure. “Remind me to thank Sarah. Because this is amazing. I have no desire to know how many calories are in it, but I suspect I’ll be back for another one of these days.”

Maggie stole half of it and, in response to Alex’s indignant cries, told her, “I’m just saving you half the calories. Boom: worries are gone now!” Alex chuckled, smacking Maggie lightly on the arm.

Once they had finished eating and cleaned up any crumbs that had fallen, Alex turned to Maggie. “I believe my weekend starts now.”

“I’m glad you remember. This morning, when I found your note, I worried maybe you forgot. Or maybe you just chickened out…” she taunted, a teasing lilt in her voice.

“For that,” Alex smirked, “get back to the bedroom.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Maggie gave a little salute, her tongue sticking out of her mouth, before she scurried back into the bedroom, diving onto the bed.

“Clothes off.”

Maggie wasn’t normally one to take orders, but she found that she didn’t mind. She quickly tossed her shirt to the ground and shimmied out of her underpants, tossing them to the side as well. 

Seeing the gorgeous woman sprawled naked across her bed, Alex wondered how she had ever gone this long without realizing she was gay. She quickly stripped off her clothes, then stalked over to the bed, gazing hungrily down at Maggie.

Maggie gulped, biting down on her lip as she felt heat pulsing between her legs. Alex finally crawled onto the bed, approaching Maggie at a torturously slow pace. She slowly kissed up Maggie’s thighs, skirting around her pussy, making her way up her stomach and across her chest, where she paused to suck at Maggie’s nipples, happy to find them already hard before she even touched them. She continued up Maggie’s neck, sucking lightly as she heard Maggie gasp. She continued back down Maggie’s body, this time using a bit more force as she sucked and nipped at Maggie’s skin, feeling the smaller woman shudder with want. Alex felt herself getting wet as she teased Maggie more, getting off on knowing how much the other woman wanted, needed her. She dropped her tongue lower again, letting it lick the very top of Maggie’s inner thighs before crawling slowly back down. She moved her fingers up to play with Maggie’s coarse dark hair. She smirked when she felt the wetness that had seeped its way into the curls. 

As Alex began another lustful lap up Maggie’s body, the woman under her let out an impatient whine. “Please,” she asked, as her hips bucked up involuntarily. 

“Here I thought this weekend was all about what I wanted. But you sound pretty needy right now.” Maggie whimpered in response, and a smirk overtook Alex’s lips. “How about you tell me. Do you need me?”

“Yes,” Maggie gasped out. She hadn’t seen this side of Alex before, but she found she rather enjoyed it.

Alex pushed slightly more. “How do you need me?”

“Your mouth. Please.”

Alex happily complied, taking Maggie by surprise when the teasing finally ended. She moaned into Maggie’s pussy, desire coursing through her when she found how very wet Maggie had gotten for her. She flattened her tongue, licking slowly up and down before moving up to draw small circles around Maggie’s clit. She continued like this for what felt like ages to Maggie, always backing away right before Maggie could come. 

Finally, with Alex sucking gently on her clit, Maggie tensed and tumbled over the edge, groaning in relief at the final release. “Oh my god,” she panted. “Alex, that was amazing.”

But Alex hadn’t stopped her ministrations, just slowed them. And now that it looked like Maggie had recovered—or at least recovered enough to speak—Alex began to speed up again. 

Maggie pulled gently at her hair, dragging her up to look at her. “Alex, this is…amazing.”

“You did say that,” Alex smirked.

“Yes. Right. But this is about you too. So what do you want?”

“This is exactly what I want.” The look Alex shot up at her made Maggie gasp; she felt like she could come from those words alone. “Though, to be fair, my neck is a bit sore. So what if I get on my back and you come sit on my face?”

Maggie’s jaw dropped. She had found Alex’s drawer, though she still hadn’t mentioned it, but she somehow didn’t expect the woman to be kinky. She loved it. “You sure?”

“Would I ask if I weren’t?”

“Um, probably not.”

“Definitely not.” Alex got comfortable, propping her neck up with a pillow or two. “So come on, then. Unless you don’t want to?”

“No! No, I really do.” Maggie carefully straddled Alex’s face, holding herself up by the headboard, trying to keep as much weight off of Alex as she could.

Alex reached up, raking a hand down Maggie’s back to pull the woman down slightly further, then letting it rest on Maggie’s ass, tracing small patterns with her fingertips. She ran her tongue up and down, letting it dip into Maggie’s entrance, earning a loud gasp from above her. She smiled as Maggie slowly relaxed into her, her hips rocking gently into her mouth. Alex moaned in appreciation, the vibrations causing Maggie to gasp again, dropping her head against the wall. Alex licked and sucked hungrily at Maggie’s pussy in response, desperate to feel the woman above her come. Maggie felt her thighs shaking with the effort to stay upright, as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body. When Alex reached a hand up to pinch at Maggie’s nipples as she took her clit in between her lips, sucking gently, Maggie let her orgasm rip through her, feeling all of the muscles in her body tense and relax as she panted, clutching onto the headboard.

As Maggie caught her breath, she felt Alex’s tongue begin again. When she was about to tell Alex she could wait, she remembered the other woman’s words: she was only doing exactly what she wanted to do. And Maggie wanted this too.

A few minutes later, Maggie felt Alex moaning and gasping deeply beneath her. She looked down to see Alex’s eyes shut tight, then looked over her should to find Alex fucking herself. The sight made Maggie smirk, but it also made her even wetter. She loved the idea that Alex was so turned on by going down on her that she just couldn’t wait.

Alex opened her eyes in time to see Maggie looking over her shoulder. She blushed and abruptly stopped her motions, letting her hand come to a rest over her own thighs. She pulled back slightly, “I’m sorry, I can wait,” she mumbled.

“No!” Maggie yelled, blushing at how loud she had been. “No, please. It’s really sexy. I want you to keep fucking yourself. If you want to, of course.”

“Are you sure?”

“Alex, just the sight of it almost made me come. Are you okay with me watching?”

Alex nodded, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry, just, the sight of you on top of me? The sounds you’re making? I just needed a little relief…” 

Maggie groaned in response, lowering herself back down to meet Alex’s waiting mouth. She could feel the second Alex let her fingers wander back to her own pussy, feeling the moans reverberate through her clit. Maggie whimpered, looking over her shoulder again, watching Alex add another finger. Maggie was desperate to fuck Alex herself, to feel how wet she had gotten. She soon noticed Alex growing rigid, the nails of her free hand sinking into Maggie’s ass, until suddenly she came, crying out into Maggie’s pussy as her whole body shook. Without giving herself time to recover, Alex quickly returned her attention to Maggie, lavishing her with long hard licks, then sucking her clit. Between Alex’s tongue and the memory of Alex coming underneath her, Maggie quickly came herself, waves of pleasure crashing over her as she moaned loudly—much louder than she normally was in bed—and tossed her head back.

After a minute of trembling recovery, she pulled a shaking leg over Alex’s head, letting herself drop onto the pillows, still panting. She threw an arm around Alex, gently kissing her, cleaning up the wetness that glistened all around Alex’s nose and chin. “Wow.”

“Enjoy yourself?” Alex asked cockily.

“You could say that.”

“And we’re just rounding our way into Friday afternoon. So much time ahead of us.”

“Wow. So you really, you just jumped right into the whole gay thing, huh?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Oh my god, no! I forgot how much fun the beginning of a relationship can be. Not like, just a few dates in, but an actual relationship where you care about each other. And you’re fucking like crazy because you can’t keep your hands off of each other. And combined? Yeah…this is so much better. You are so much better.”

“Keep talking. Let’s not spend too much time on you reflecting on all the other women you’ve just been casually banging for the past few years.”

“Er, right. But seriously, Al. You’re fun and amazing and beautiful. Plus I really like you. Because I can spend time with you doing just about anything and be happy about having the opportunity.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recognizing that the next few chapters are just increasingly kinky smut, I went ahead and bumped the rating up to E...perhaps a bit overdue.  
> I promise there's some fluff and a bit of plot interspersed in all of the chapters too. Enjoy!

“What do you want to do now?”

“I could maybe use a breather. Not a nap, but like, a bit of recovery time. But also, I want to give you all of the orgasms you could want. And right now, you’ve been the only one to make you come. So if you want…” Maggie trailed off suggestively.

“Oh, we’ll get to that. Very soon. Trust me. But I’m okay chilling for a bit too. Wanna watch an episode of something?”

“Yes! Is there any way that could not involve moving?”

“You okay watching on a laptop screen?” Alex pulled her computer down from her dresser.

“If I can keep my butt firmly planted in this bed, then I would watch on your phone screen.”

“That’s just sad.”

“Eh, at least I’m honest about my laziness.” Alex laughed. “So, as it is the weekend of catering to your desires, what do you want to watch?”

“Hmm,” Alex considered her options. “We’re still in the middle of two shows together. Kara would kill me if I went ahead with Homeland without her, but I think she could forgive us for watching The L Word on our own. Plus there’s Buffy.”

“Got a preference between them?”

“I think there’s a much better chance of one of them leading right back to sex. But I also know we’re supposed to be on a forced relaxation break. You pick.”

“What episode of Buffy did we leave off at?”

Alex scrolled through her Netflix queue. “Hmm, according to this, we’re at Teacher’s Pet.’”

“You might like it?”

“Fine. If I don’t, we can always switch.”

They giggled their way through the episode, though Alex texted Kara that she really needed to watch the show, thinking about how much the teacher reminded her of the Hellgrammite Kara had fought her early days as Supergirl, though Alex had actually been the one to kill it, thinking to poison it with its own venom, which she had run tests on for Kara. Its ability to look like a human had been one of the creepiest things about it, Alex thought.

Maggie ran to grab snacks at the end, and when she came back, she found Alex had let the next episode begin. She shrugged, figuring they could both use the food before they got back into anything else. When the second episode’s closing credits began, though, Alex was quick to shut her laptop and move it off the bed.

“Got something on your mind?” Maggie teased.

“You.”

“Mmm,” Maggie hummed. She curled into Alex, moving up her chest to kiss her soundly. “You sure know how to make a girl feel wanted.”

“Good,” Alex sighed, pulling Maggie back up and deepening the kiss.

A little while later, Maggie pulled away, already breathless. “What do you want, Alex? I want to make you happy.”

“You already do, but I don’t know. There are so many things I want to do with you! I mean, what we do already is amazing. But I also sort of have other things I might like to try.”

Maggie looked intrigued and motioned for Alex to continue.

Alex blushed and began playing with her hands—something Maggie had begun to recognize as a nervous tic.

“Hey, Alex, anything you want to say is okay. There’s no shame here. Even if I’m not into something, it doesn’t make it weird or bad that you are. I promise.”

Alex wondered how she had gotten so lucky to have someone like Maggie. And to have had someone like Vicky to start out with. “Well, I, um, have some…things. That maybe we could use.”

“Like sex toys?” Maggie offered helpfully, hoping that it would help Alex to relax a bit if she already knew what she was talking about.

Alex nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. But if you’re not into that, that’s totally fine! I just, I don’t know. I know you said it was shocking, or something, back when we were watching The L Word. So it’s cool if you don’t want to.”

“I said it was shocking because at least in my head, you’d had sex with a woman twice in your life. And especially since the first time was in high school, I made the assumption that you’d had somewhat vanilla sex. Also, we were watching with your baby sister. I don’t think fucking with a strap-on or using toys is weird at all. I promise. I have my own. They’re safe and sound in my nightstand.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” Now it was Maggie’s turn to blush slightly. “Well, actually, one is here. I was hoping you would make it through Thanksgiving totally sober, so I packed an item with me in case it was something you wanted.”

It was Alex’s turn to look curious. “What is it?”

“A harness. But I know that you said that you were the one fucking with a harness last time, so it’s totally okay if you don’t want to, you know, be on the other side.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Always,” Maggie answered, hoping her tone conveyed her sincerity. She wanted Alex to know that she could tell her anything, that she would listen without judgment and would never force her to do anything she wasn’t 100% into doing.

“So, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, I haven’t had the best experiences being on the other end of that. With men,” she clarified. “The idea of a woman doing it, though, of you doing it—that seems like something I might really like. But I also don’t want to always be on that end of it. I’d love to fuck you too, if that’s something you’d be okay with.”

“Now, can I be honest with you?”

“Yes, please do.”

“I’ve never been on the receiving end of strap-on sex. It’s not necessarily that I don’t want to, but I just, I don’t know that I’ve ever been asked. Kate and I had more of a set dynamic, and I don’t often bring out toys for one-night stands. Sorry, I hope it’s okay that I’m talking about other people. It’s not because I’m thinking about them right now; it’s just because they’re my point of reference here. But of course it’ll all be different with you.”

“I know. And I’m just working off of what I did and wanted with Vicky. Not because I’d rather be here again with her, but because I know what was sexy then, and I know how I feel about you now.”

Maggie nodded, completely understanding what Alex was saying. “So, would you want to start with that?”

Alex bit her lip and answered, “I think so. If that’s okay with you? To have you fucking me?”

“Yeah, that sounds amazing. I’ll just, go get, you know, dressed.”

Alex smiled and nodded, watching Maggie’s ass as she walked out of the room.

When Maggie came back, dressed only in a black leather harness, Alex almost lost it. She had gotten to be okay, even feel sort of hot in her own, thanks to Vicky’s help. But this? Maggie looked amazing. She looked powerful and feminine and so damn sexy. “Wow,” she breathed.

“Yeah?” Maggie asked. She had never felt particularly anxious about her appearance before, but she still wanted Alex to confirm that she wanted this.

“So much so, yeah.”

“Do you have one—I don’t know the term you prefer here—that you want to use?”

“Oh, I hadn’t really thought about terms. Dildo is a funny word. I mean, I guess it’s accurate, but it sort of makes me laugh. Vicky used ‘dick,’ and I was fine with that.”

“We can do dick. Do you like cock?”

Alex laughed, then quickly corrected herself, “Sorry, just, the phrasing... Because, well no, I don’t like cock. Or at least I didn't like it with any of the men I was with before. But I guess the word? I don’t know. It’s not a term I’ve really ever used, but I didn’t hate the sound of it coming out of your mouth.”

“Okay, that’s good. It’s good to start to get to know what we do and don’t like together. So do you have a dick I should use?”

“Right! Yes, so I have some options. Please don’t judge me; I was drunk online shopping.”

“I’m not judging you. I’ll just keep reminding you until you believe me. I have an even larger collection.”

“How would you know how many I have?”

“Oh, I’m just assuming,” Maggie tried to cover for her slip up.

“Really? Because I would have assumed by your earlier comments that you’d think of me as having one, and even that took you by surprise.”

“Okay, okay! I saw your drawer. Once, but I shut it so fast! I was trying to put away the pajamas you lent me, and I mean, really, who keeps their sex toys in a dresser drawer?”

“Where else do you keep them?” Alex shot back, trying to stifle her embarrassment with annoyance.

“I keep mine in my nightstand. A lot of people keep theirs in boxes under their beds.”

“That was the idea. I just need a box. But still, there’s nothing wrong with using a drawer that had space.”

“No, there’s really not. I just didn’t expect it. I was looking for a pajama drawer.”

“Middle right.”

“Yes, now I know that. But back then I was starting on the left and just moving my way down and across.”

“I see.”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy like that. I just, I wasn’t sure if I should say anything, you know? Because maybe you’d never want to use them with me, and that would be fine too. It was always going to be your decision whether or not to share them with me. And I worried that if I said something, I would force you to make that decision much earlier than was good for our relationship.”

“That’s actually sort of sweet. You’re the worst for making a situation where I should get to be annoyed into one where I think you’re adorable.”

“Sorry?” Maggie let the edges of her mouth twitch upwards, as she saw that Alex wasn’t really mad.

“Whatever. So okay, you have more than I have. Now I’m curious.”

“Well, we could always make a trip up to my place this weekend. Or we can wait for later.”

“Let’s see how today goes.”

Alex opened up her drawer, pulling out the different options. Maggie interjected, “You should really be the one to pick, though. Since it’s for you.”

“Right, um, I guess maybe this one? Alex picked up the ridged purple one that she had liked so much last time.

“You okay with the size? Do you need to start with something smaller?”

Alex blushed a dark red. “I think I’m even wetter than I was the last time I used it, so I should be just fine.”

Maggie took her face in her hands and kissed her deeply, murmuring, “There’s no reason to be embarrassed about that. I love how wet you get for me. It’s so fucking sexy. Plus, you do it to me too. All it means is that I want you. A lot.”

The blush hadn’t left Alex’s cheeks, but she grinned up at Maggie. “Alright, well put it on then.”

Once Maggie was all set up and they had made out until Alex desperately needed more from Maggie, she reached out to get the lube.

“How do you like being fucked?” Maggie asked.

“Oh.” Alex paused. “I don’t know.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean with a strap-on. I remember you saying that you haven’t been on that end yet. But what did you like doing back before with the guys you slept with?”

“I mean, isn’t the point of being gay sort of that I didn’t like doing anything with them?”

“Right, I mean, I’ve never tried, so I’m a bit unclear. But like, okay, emotionally, not there. But what made you come?”

Alex blushed. “I, uh, I didn’t.”

“Ever?” Maggie looked incredulous, but tried to keep Alex calm. “Sorry, that’s totally fine. And I’ve heard that most women don’t come from sex penetrative sex, but I assumed that was just like, in certain positions. Like missionary or something.”

Alex just shrugged back at her. “That wasn’t really the goal when I went home with guys. It was more about just proving that I could go home with a guy.”

“Right,” Maggie nodded. “Well, here’s to today being so much better.”

“It already is,” Alex admitted. “I’m wet, aren’t I? And sober.”

“Both true. Well, then, how do you want to start?”

“I know you were just making fun of it, but maybe I could be on my back. At least to get the feel of being together like that?”

“Yeah of course. I wasn’t making fun of it in general. Some women really like that. It’s just that some guys literally think there are no other options.”

“Luckily we’ll never be in the real traditional missionary pose.” Maggie looked at her quizzically. “I mean, two ladies? Hard to have the man on top when there is no man.”

Maggie lunged at Alex, tackling her to the bed as she planted wet kisses all over her.

“What is this for?” Alex asked between fits of laughter.

“I love that you didn’t try to make one of us into the male partner just for wearing the dick.”

“You’re not, though. And neither was I when I wore one.”

“I know. I get that. But so many people—straight and gay—don’t get that.” Maggie straightened back up, feeling significantly more relaxed about everything as she reached for the lube. “Do you want to get comfortable? I’ll meet you wherever you’re at.”

Alex got settled, moving the pillows how she liked them and throwing one under her hips when she remembered Vicky’s recommendations from last time. “I guess I’m ready.”

Maggie grinned at her. “Let me know if you want me to stop at any point. Or if something hurts or you want me to change something, that too. I mean, if you like something, by all means, vocal is always good then as well.”

“I got it. Now please, I know we’ve just been joking around for a bit, but I really do want you inside of me.”

Maggie felt heat flash through her body. She carefully lowered herself down, sliding the dick into Alex. “You’re so wet,” Maggie moaned, as she began carefully and slowly moving in and out of Alex.

Alex soon relaxed, loving how sexy Maggie looked on top of her. She could see all of her muscles flexing as she held herself up. “Can you go a little faster?” Alex asked.

Maggie nodded, still being careful not to hurt Alex, but moving her hips more quickly. Alex groaned, enjoying the friction she was finally getting more of. Maggie sped up slightly more in response, and Alex moaned, “Fuck, Maggie. This feels so good.”

Maggie dropped down to her elbows, keeping up the pace as she kissed along Alex’s jaw and throat, earning a chorus of increasingly loud moans and sighs in response.

After a few minutes, Maggie was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and Alex was still moaning. “Maggie?” Alex began. “I’m really sorry, but I don’t know why I’m not coming yet.”

Maggie slowed down. “That’s okay. This isn’t the best position for getting your clit. Do you want to try getting up in my lap? I’ll get back on my knees?”

Alex nodded, and Maggie wrapped strong, warm arms around her torso, carefully guiding her up and into her lap. “You can wrap your legs around me for balance, if you want, or you can leave them on the sides if you want to control more of the action.” Alex smiled, letting her legs wrap around Maggie for now.

Maggie started slowly again, though she built back up to the speed she had reached more quickly this time around. Alex dug her nails into Maggie’s back, grunting as she finally felt like this is what she had needed.

“So good, baby. Fuck me harder. Please,” Alex panted into Maggie’s ear.

Maggie whined in response, letting her hands come down to Alex’s ass and hips as she thrust deeper and more forcefully into Alex. The noises Alex was making, coupled with the way the base of the toy was hitting her clit in this position, pushed Maggie closer and closer to an orgasm herself.

Alex alternated between sucking and nipping lightly at Maggie’s neck and meeting her lips with sloppy, needy kisses. She continued to pant obscenities, driving Maggie wild. Maggie wondered if Alex wanted any kind of dirty talk in return and figured it was worth a shot.

“You feel so good on my dick.” Alex let out a loud whine. “You look so hot riding my cock.” Alex shifted her legs to the side so that she could control her movements more, and she began thrusting faster against Maggie. “I want to see you come for me. Can you do that? Can you come for me?” Alex grunted and picked up the pace, while Maggie shifted to try to give Alex more friction against her clit, while she moved to suck on Alex’s earlobe. Alex stilled and tensed, so Maggie took control. Holding on to Alex’s ass and lower back, she moved with hard and fast shallow thrusts, keeping Alex’s clit lined up with the harness, hoping to push her over the edge. While Alex was still tensed against her, Maggie felt her nails once more digging deep into her back, and in moments, she felt Alex shudder almost violently, collapsing into her as the aftershocks rolled through, leaving her trembling against Maggie’s body. After a minute, Alex pulled herself off of the toy, shuddering slightly when it grazed her clit, and moved to let her forehead rest against Maggie’s. Her eyes were still shut, worn out as she felt, but she smiled softly.

“You okay?” Maggie checked.

“Better than okay,” Alex got out. “So much better than the sex I had before. So good. So fucking good.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Do you need anything?” Maggie knew she hadn’t been particularly top-y, but she still wanted to be there in case Alex needed time or space to come down.

“Not really. Unless you do? Just, like, for next time? Do all of that.”

“Did you like the dirty talk?”

Alex blushed, but nodded.

“I like it too. When you started moaning and telling me how much you liked me fucking you, it was really sexy. Like, so sexy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. If you’re into it, I would absolutely be down for that and more.”

Alex smiled and nodded. “I think that’s something I could do.” She let her body fall down into the pillows, a wide smile on her face as she dragged Maggie down with her. “Just let me catch my breath a little?”

“Of course.” Maggie wrapped a protective arm around Alex, not even minding how sweaty they both still were.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally :)

Alex and Maggie stayed wrapped around each other for several minutes, Alex having finally let her eyes flutter shut as she steadied her breathing. Maggie stroked Alex’s head, letting her fingers run through her hair and play at the nape of her neck. 

But soon enough, Alex found herself missing a more…intimate contact with Maggie. “Hey, Mags?”

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“I’m great.”

“No, um, I mean, do you need anything? Or do you want anything?”

Maggie groaned softly; leave it to Alex to wait until she had finally gotten her heart rate under control to tease her like that.

Alex continued, “It sort of sounds like you might want help with something.”

“You look exhausted.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“I wouldn’t complain…”

A sly grin spread across Alex’s face, and she pulled herself up, kissing Maggie softly but insistently. She pulled the harness off, moving it out of the way so that she could get even closer to the woman underneath her, feel every part of her. She licked her lips when she felt how wet Maggie was against her thigh. Alex dragged Maggie further down the bed, letting her fingers play around her pussy. When she dipped lightly into Maggie’s wet entrance, Maggie arched into her touch, whining with need. 

“Maggie, what do you want?” Alex asked, her voice low and husky. 

“To come,” Maggie answered honestly, making Alex chuckle softly.

“But how? Do you want me in a strap-on?” 

Maggie felt heat rush between her legs, but she was also slightly nervous. “I think so. But I, well, it’s new for me.”

“I’m no seasoned pro myself,” Alex joked, trying to remember what Vicky had said about not shying away from a bit of laughter and levity in the bedroom.

Maggie grinned back at her. “Alright then, yeah, let’s try.”

They stood together, once again looking into Alex’s drawer after Maggie deemed the purple dick too big for her. “Um, I guess it’s just the two options. The pink one is smaller, if you want that. But then this one has a vibrator, which is nice…for me too. But I don’t know if that’s also too big.”

“Do you have a preference?”

Alex hesitated. “I did enjoy the one with the vibrator. But it’s totally your call! I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I think I can get behind the image of you coming while you’re fucking me.” Alex bit her lip in anticipation. “Maybe before you fuck me, you go down on me? Help make sure I’m wet enough?”

Alex nodded enthusiastically. “Let me just get on the harness first…I don’t want to break the mood or something if it takes forever.” 

Maggie helped her adjust the straps and grinned wickedly at the sight in front of her. “You look…so fucking hot. I don’t mean to objectify or anything, but damn.”

Alex blushed. She still wasn’t great at taking compliments, so instead she just pushed Maggie back onto the bed, climbing on top of her and letting her tongue slip between Maggie’s lips, kissing her passionately, then a bit roughly. Maggie moaned into it, pulling Alex down tighter against her. 

“Fuck me,” Maggie panted.

“I thought you wanted me to go down on you first?”

“Okay, yeah, either way. But please just touch me.”

Alex loved seeing Maggie desperate like this and quickly dropped her head lower, not bothering to tease the other woman, since she was already begging. 

Maggie, still turned on from fucking Alex earlier, came quickly. As soon as Alex began scratching at her, leaving angry-looking red marks down her abs and small bite marks inside her thighs, Maggie knew she wouldn’t last long, giving in to the moment as she came with a small gasp. 

When Alex looked up and found the marks she had left all over Maggie’s body, she looked horrified. “Oh my god! You should have said something. I’m so, so sorry. I just, I got swept up, and I hurt you.”

Maggie pulled Alex up into her chest. “Al, I loved it.” She colored slightly, which was unusual for her; she never minded talking about sex. “I like it to get a little rougher in bed sometimes. I like it when it’s not rough too, but it can be really sexy to see the person I’m with get so wrapped up in me that they lose control. This is a conversation we should have later, or now if you feel like it’s urgent, but trust me. I’m not mad. I’m just wet. So wet. And so turned on. And I really, if you’re still up for it, would love it if you would fuck me.”

Alex gulped and nodded. They would have to talk about it, but Maggie’s eyes were almost black with lust, and her hips were still bucking involuntarily into Alex’s hips, and her inner thighs were glistening with all of the proof Alex needed for now to see that Maggie wasn’t lying about needing her. 

She grabbed the toy, sliding it through the o-ring, but not yet turning on the vibrator. She added a fair amount of lube, figuring she should try to make it as easy as possible for Maggie. “Shit! I forgot to ask first how you want to be.”

“Oh…I hadn’t thought much either. Normally I’m not the one down here.”

“Right. Um, any preference?”

“I’d rather not be on my back, if that’s okay. But, I don’t know, I also don’t want to be on top. I’m not entirely sure how to…I don’t know how to say it, but like, ride a dick? I get how to fuck with one, but not be fucked with one? Does that make sense?”

Alex pressed soft kisses across Maggie’s chest, trying to make her feel calm and cared for. “Of course. I’m still pretty new, but what do you think about sitting up and wrapping around me? I can do most of the thrusting, but you can take control whenever you want too?”

“That sounds great.”

Alex wondered about where to go. She felt a bit odd simply recreating what she had done with Vicky. She assumed at some point they would repeat things, but it shouldn’t be the first time. She looked around her apartment for something else that would be about the right height. 

“Can I help with something?”

“Um, well, do you see anything that would bring you up to about waist height?”

Maggie looked around, peering outside the door once she saw that Alex wasn’t restricting her search to the bedroom. “Maybe your dresser. Or your desk?”

Alex looked over at her desk. Ever since Maggie had started working in the Department, she’d been increasingly interested in certain workplace fantasies that she used to dismiss as silly and unbecoming of professionals. She rushed over to clear off the surface. While the fantasies were hot, she still had no desire to have to reorganize all of her papers or buy a new computer. 

Moments later, she was back for Maggie. She added a bit more lube, noticing that what she had put on earlier had gotten tacky and less than useful, then dragged the grinning brunette out to her desk. Maggie hopped up, settling in as she eyed Alex, feeling herself get wet at the sight. 

“I’ll try to be slow, but let me know if, you know, anything hurts.” Maggie nodded, a little nervous but secure in her trust in Alex.

Alex carefully guided the toy to Maggie’s entrance, letting it glide through the wetness and come up to tease her clit, before lowering it back down. She repeated this movement a few times, letting Maggie get used to the feeling, before she carefully pushed it inside the smaller woman.

Maggie gasped. The first second or two had been a little painful, but now she just felt full. It wasn’t bad, but it was different. She missed the feeling of Alex’s fingers a little, but she figured she should still give the toy a chance. After all, Alex hadn’t started doing anything with it yet.

After checking in with Maggie, Alex began slowly moving in and out, letting Maggie get used to the toy being inside of her. She fluttered her hands up to Maggie’s shoulders, letting one move to the back of her neck, then tangle in her hair. She moved in to kiss Maggie, letting passion build between their lips before she dared increase her pace any faster. 

While Maggie might have missed Alex’s fingers inside of her, she did appreciate that Alex suddenly had two hands free to play with her hair and her nipples. Maggie let her own hands wander too, pulling Alex in slightly and running her nails down Alex’s lean torso. She could feel Alex shudder under her touch, and it made her want more of the redhead. 

“You can fuck me faster, Al.” Alex complied, though she increased her pace slowly, incrementally. When she had gotten into more of a rhythm, though, she could see Maggie relaxing into it, finally looking like she was getting something out of the movements inside her. With the new confidence, Alex fucked Maggie slightly harder, dragging her teeth along Maggie’s lower lip. Maggie began to moan in earnest now, letting her nails sink into Alex’s shoulders.

“Do you want me to turn on the vibrator?”

Maggie had almost forgotten—she thought she probably could have come without it, based on how good it started to feel once Alex picked up the pace. She nodded quickly.

Alex reached down, fumbling slightly as she slowed her pace, trying to find the on button. She set it to one of the lower settings, but they both felt it. Maggie’s tongue shot out, running seductively across her teeth as she tipped her head backwards. Alex could feel her own clit getting harder under the vibrations, though she remembered that it felt even better once she was thrusting hard into the person with her. 

Picking up the pace again, Alex heard herself getting louder, her moans now echoing with Maggie’s as they grabbed at each other’s backs, trying to get even closer. Maggie hadn’t expected this, but fuck, it felt good. She wanted more of Alex. Deeper. Harder. She clawed at Alex’s skin, thrusting her own hips faster into Alex’s. She could feel Alex trembling too, saw her jaw clenching with the effort of not coming herself. The thought that Alex was waiting desperately, could barely control herself, engulfed Maggie’s whole body with desire. 

“You wanna come, baby?” Maggie asked, her voice low and gravelly. 

“Yes,” Alex whined. 

“Can you wait for me?”

Alex whimpered, dropping her forehead against Maggie’s shoulder. She could feel her clit swollen with desire, knew she was dripping wet. But if Maggie wanted her to wait, she would wait. Or at least she would try. 

“Can you wait?” Maggie asked again, hoping she hadn’t pushed things too far.

Alex nodded, looking up at her with a needy expression. But her eyes were also dark, and she was biting at her lip again.

“I want to know how much you want to come. What’s turning you on so much right now that you need to come?” Maggie knew she was playing with fire. She could feel herself teetering on the edge of her own orgasm. But she wanted to hear Alex tell her what made her desperate first. She needed to know that Alex needed her too.

Alex felt herself flush, but she also felt a rush of arousal. “You. I want to see you come. You look—you look so good,” Alex panted. “You feel so good. You’re so tight on my cock.”

Maggie gasped, her muscles clenching. She hadn’t expected those words to leave Alex’s mouth. If she had heard them in porn, she would have scoffed, thinking they were patriarchal bullshit—trying to tell women they needed to be virginal or something. But coming from Alex? Those words dripped like honey from her mouth. They made Maggie ache with desire. She was fighting her own orgasm off now, but she needed to hear more. She didn’t want the moment to end, petrified that she would never get it back.

“Yeah? You feel how tight I am? You’re so big. You’re the only one who could make me this wet.”

Alex whimpered, feeling her knees tremble as they threatened to give out. Deciding that if she was going to suffer like this, she would make Maggie feel the same desperation, she reached down and bumped up the vibrator to one of the middle settings. She heard Maggie gasp and whimper a string of obscenities in a low whisper.

“Maggie,” she growled, her voice low and her tone rough. “I’m going to fuck you hard and fast. And I need you to come for me. Because I’m done waiting. I need to come. And I need to see you. I need to hear you. I want you to fucking scream my name.”

“Alex,” Maggie panted, “Fuck! Alex!” Alex’s nails were digging into her ass, her breath hot on her neck. She felt herself tense as Alex maintained her fast pace, snapping her hips quick and hard into Maggie, the vibrations humming through her whole pussy. After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, Maggie finally felt all of her muscles release, an orgasm ripping through her body. She collapsed into Alex’s chest, just in time to feel the other woman lurch forward, her arms looping up around Maggie’s shoulders to catch her weight as she came hard with a shudder that rippled through her whole body. 

Alex turned off the vibrator, carefully slipped the toy out of Maggie, and pushed the harness down. She pulled herself in close against Maggie, just holding the smaller woman in her arms and being held in return. Once their breathing had eased back to a fairly normal rate, Maggie pulled Alex in for a gentle kiss, nuzzling back into Alex’s shoulder when she pulled away.

“So how was your first time?” Alex asked.

“Not like I was a virgin before,” Maggie teased.

“What?” Alex joked back, “You’re telling me you lied to me? I’ll have to alert the high council! The authorities! What will the church think?”

Maggie laughed, but then gave Alex a more serious look. “It was amazing. You were amazing. And it felt…I don’t know. I didn’t expect it. I liked being that close to you. It was, I don’t know, maybe sort of kinky, right? But it was caring too. I felt safe.”

“I’m glad. You make me feel the same way, you know?” Maggie nodded, glad to hear the confirmation.


	25. Chapter 25

Alex and Maggie didn’t make it back to the bedroom, collapsing onto the couch. They stayed like that until Maggie got cold. And Alex got hungry. Eventually they managed to pry themselves off the couch, Maggie’s bladder losing the battle of wills against her desire to stay firmly planted on the sofa.

A few minutes later they returned to the couch, both in some state of dress. Alex handed Maggie a glass of water, already having drained most of her own cup.

“It’s late.”

“Is it?” Maggie asked.

“It is. We should do dinner instead of more snacks.”

“What do you want?”

“Ummm…should we just do takeout?”

“Danvers, at least wait until day two to lower your standards. C’mon, let’s see what groceries you bought.”

\---

Once Alex had the rice on, she sat back, watching Maggie chop various vegetables, tossing out any brown bits as she made tsk-ing sounds at Alex for letting some of her groceries go bad. Every so often, Alex reached over to steal a bite of cauliflower, laughing when Maggie swatted her hands away for the nth time.

“Alex! I’m already working with a limited supply. Plus, it’ll taste so much better if you can wait for me to cook it.”

“Fine, fine. Just one more?”

Maggie relented, handing Alex a small piece only to have her reach past the proffered one to snatch a much larger chunk. Maggie groaned. “Here I thought Kara would be the one trying to eat me out of house and home. Apparently it’s you I have to worry about?”

“It was eat or be eaten in the Danvers family. I’ve just adapted,” Alex said with a wink, tossing one last piece of cauliflower into her mouth.

Eventually Maggie did manage to get all of the vegetables chopped and threw them into the largest pan Alex had. She wasn’t sure why she had expected the woman to own a wok—she should probably be grateful that there was even a decent-sized pan—but she was really in the mood for stir-fry. She had to improvise a bit with the sauce too, glad to see that Alex at least had soy sauce and garlic as well as ginger that she vaguely recalled buying when Kara had asked to make gingerbread houses…last year.

“This is amazing,” Alex gushed, finally getting to enjoy the cooked vegetables that Maggie had promised would be so much better.

“I was right about the vegetables.”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Mhm. You know I was a cop and a detective for a long time. I have ways of making people talk.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Definitely,” Maggie whispered, her voice low and teasing. “But from what I recall of earlier, I think getting you to stay quiet would be the bigger challenge.”

Alex flushed. “Sorry, is it bad? I can be quiet. I was just, I don’t know. I don’t normally enjoy myself that much…”

Maggie grabbed Alex’s free hand, which was in the air gesticulating wildly as she rambled. “Babe, I’m kidding. I love everything you do in bed. All the sounds. And the words. And the strings of, ‘Fuck, Maggie!’ It’s all perfect.”

Alex was still pink, but now she was nodding and smiling too. “You weren’t exactly quiet yourself,” she grumbled.

“No. And you should consider that an accomplishment. I used to be damn near silent in bed.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” Maggie nodded. “Holdover from living at home, then living with way too many roommates. I don’t know, I also sort of thought the noises were unnecessary. If you could be quiet, wasn’t everything else sort of…fake? But some girlfriend along the way finally got through to me and made me…open up, if you will.”

“Well, even if I don’t like the idea of you with whatever girl finally made you scream, I am grateful. I like it when you’re loud.”

“I don’t believe I’ve ever screamed, Danvers.”

“Wanna bet on how long that lasts?”

Maggie colored now, feeling her heart race as she wondered on earth she got so lucky as to end up with someone like Alex Danvers. “I believe the only reason we’re here now is because of a bet.”

“Really? Only because of a bet? You’re telling me that you wouldn’t be here enjoying a long weekend with your girlfriend if we didn’t make any wagers?”

“Okay, fair enough. But! I bet you wouldn’t have let me see that drawer of yours this early if you didn’t have license to propose anything you wanted.”

Alex shrugged. Maggie probably had a point, but she wasn’t mad that they had gotten there a little faster. “Speaking of which…what are we doing tomorrow?”

“Isn’t the whole point that you’re telling me?”

Alex grinned. “Yes, but I do like to keep you in mind.”

“Well I can think of a lot of fun things for us to do…maybe we drive up to my place to grab a few things of mine?”

“What kinds of things?”

Maggie arched an eyebrow. “I think you know. But I don’t want to tell you what I have in mind just yet; I want you to pick.”

“Deal.”

By the time they had finished cleaning up from dinner, it was already 10. They snuggled into the couch together to watch an episode of The L Word before bed. This time, Alex had no reservations about putting her head in Maggie’s lap and looking up at her girlfriend with puppy dog eyes, waiting for Maggie’s hands to find their way into her hair. She sighed contentedly when they did, relaxing into the feel of Maggie’s fingers. Even the devastation of the show—and between the custody fight with Tina that led Bette to kidnap Angelica and Shane’s stupid decision to abandon Carmen at the altar, it really was one of the more emotionally taxing episodes—couldn’t dampen Alex’s happiness.

When the next episode began playing automatically, Alex turned her head, kissing softly up Maggie’s legs. The brunette let out a small whimper, trying to stay calm enough to find the remote and turn off the show. But the whimper just encouraged Alex, who flipped onto her stomach, letting her mouth edge closer and closer to hem of the boxer shorts Maggie had borrowed. When Maggie’s fingers tightened in Alex’s hair, she moved her mouth up, teasing Maggie through the thin layer of fabric.

Maggie pushed as far back into the couch as she could though, forcing Alex to look up at her. Feeling suddenly guilty, Alex began apologizing, “Shit! I’m sorry, I should’ve asked first.”

“No! No, that’s not it. I want you, I really do. That’s uh, that’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked. Maggie blushed deeper than Alex remembered ever seeing her. “Hey, it’s okay. I screwed up. I can go.”

Now Maggie felt guilty for making Alex worry. “No, sorry. I just. These are your boxers. And I’m not wearing anything under them. And with you touching me the way you are…I don’t really need to feel like a teenage boy when I throw these into your laundry.”

Maggie was studiously avoiding Alex’s gaze, her own eyes trained on the show she had been ignoring thus far.

“Maggie,” Alex tried. “Hey, Maggie, please look at me.” Maggie finally obliged, looking down at Alex, but still chewing on her lip. “First of all, by all means, take these off. I sort of prefer you without them, if we’re being honest. But second, I’m not gonna be mad that you’re wet. I would hope you were, you know. Though of course it’s fine if you’re not!” she rushed to add. “But, and I say this as someone who had a lot of sex that I didn’t really want to be having, it's a good thing that you're this wet. Hell, I know how wet you make me. And that’s amazing because it shows me how much I want you. And I love the thought that I do that to you too.”

Maggie squirmed, looking bashful. “Here I’m supposed to be the sex-positive veteran lesbian. When’d you get so good at that?”

“I think I spent enough time around you and Vicky to make up for a lifetime of shame. Now how about you take those off?”

Maggie nodded, gently lifting her hips as Alex threw the boxers toward the other end of the couch. “Do you want to move to the bedroom?” she asked.

Alex shook her head, dropping down to the floor as she pulled Maggie’s hips forward. “Don’t want to wait.”

Maggie smiled. Then she caught a glimpse of Alex on her knees, her hair tousled and her eyes darkened with want. Maggie felt her breath catch as she breathed out, “Fuck, Alex.”

Alex smirked, glad to see the effect she was having on the other woman. She made a show of sticking her ass out slightly as she kissed up Maggie’s legs, loving the heady smell of Maggie’s arousal. She bit softly at Maggie’s inner thighs, feeling Maggie’s hips jerk at the sensation.

Alex was driving Maggie wild. She fought to control her breathing and her hips as Alex teased her, every so often letting her tongue flick up and across her pussy before moving back to her thighs. She looked up when Alex moved away only to catch her throwing her shirt off. She grinned up at Maggie, running her hands through her hair, before leaning back between her legs, finally letting her tongue run slowly up Maggie’s pussy, moaning deeply as she tasted how wet the brunette was.

Maggie almost growled, “Fuck, Alex. You’re so fucking hot on your knees.” As soon as she said it she froze, heart beating quickly but now at least in part due to nerves. Alex didn’t appear to have noticed, or at least she hadn’t stopped. Though now that Maggie was frozen, she pulled her head back.

“You okay?” Alex asked.

“Um, yeah. Or, no. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Said what?”

“Um, what I said. About liking you on your knees. I know it’s like a power play type thing to say. And you’ve already talked about bad experiences in the bedroom, and I feel like that could sound like exactly the kind of thing some douchey guy would say.” Of course, Maggie didn’t think of it as gendered language at all, but she knew that in porn or something it would be. Maggie liked playing with power dynamics, but she certainly hadn’t been planning to introduce them into her sex life with Alex, or at least no more than they already had with the strap-on sex, this early. And definitely not without a conversation first.

“Maggie. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say this to you, but I already know you’re not like any of the guys I was with before. You’re you. You’re Maggie. And you care about me enough to still check in before you touch me even though I’m literally always begging for more of you already. I don’t care that you said I look hot on my knees. I do. Don’t think the appeal of a certain aesthetic is lost on me. And don’t think I don’t wonder what you’d look like on your knees…”

Maggie cocked her head, her mouth twitching into a half-smile. “You think I’m getting down on my knees, Danvers?”

Hearing the teasing tone in Maggie’s voice that did little to detract from the heated sexual overtones, Alex licked her lips and smirked. “I think you’ll beg to be on your knees.”

Maggie felt a rush of arousal as her whole body ignited with need. Maggie was nothing if not a top. She had never bottomed. She had never wanted to bottom. And yet here she was, feeling herself getting even wetter at the idea of it. Admittedly, she had also never been fucked with a strap-on before Alex… She wondered how many first she might end up having with the woman still smirking up at her.

“I see you’re a bit tongue-tied for now, so how about you sit back, move your hips forward, and let me help you make some kind of noise.”

Maggie let out a whimper. Between the seductive words and the magic Alex’s tongue and fingers had begun to work, Maggie didn’t know how long she would last. And indeed, she didn’t last long at all. Mere minutes later, she found her thighs gripping tightly around Alex’s head as she muffled her loud moans in a pillow, feeling an orgasm surge through her body, leaving her sweaty and panting.

Her face still covered with the pillow, Maggie heard a low chuckle. “Did you, uh, come?”

“You couldn’t tell?” Maggie was incredulous. Sure, she had muffled most of the noise in the pillow, recognizing that it was pretty late to be disturbing the neighbors, but she really would have thought the vice-like grip of her thighs before her whole body shook and finally crumpled back down on the couch would have cued Alex in.

“Oh, I could tell alright. But I mean, you came came.”

Maggie pulled her head upright, blinking her eyes a few times to adjust to the relative darkness. “Yes, babe, I came.”

Alex rolled her eyes, drawing herself up onto the couch. She kissed Maggie, her mouth and chin still very wet, then pulled back, drawing Maggie’s fingers to her own. Maggie looked down, seeing the thick white substance that coated Alex’s fingers, running into her open palm. “Oh,” Maggie breathed. “Um, yeah. That’s only happened once or twice before. I promise it’s not like pee or anything.”

“Maggie, it really doesn’t look like pee. I wasn’t super concerned. In fact, I very much was not concerned. If anything, I’m rather proud of myself.”

Maggie visibly relaxed. “Sorry, it’s just, the first time it happened the woman I was with freaked out. She thought it was gross.”

“Well she’s dumb. I think it’s hot that I made you come that hard.”

“In that case…” Maggie trailed off, puling Alex back in for a searing kiss. Eventually she let her go. “You can, you know, wash your hands off though.”

Alex laughed lightly. “I will. You know, that’s something I sort of thought I was done with when I came out. Not that I mind. I just didn’t really think women ever made any sort of mess. Of course, it wasn’t until I came out that I also started getting this wet during sex…so I guess either way.”

“You’re sort of rambling, babe.”

“It’s late,” Alex whined. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Never. I just want to curl up with you in bed. Unless you want something?”

“I do. But tomorrow. I think we’re both exhausted.”

Maggie was grateful. Even though she wanted nothing more than to feel Alex under her, she also really wanted to feel a pillow under her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mainly fluff with a bit of smut thrown in at the end for good measure
> 
> And thank you to everyone who's continued to read/comment! They make my day!

The next morning, Maggie woke up earlier than Alex, carefully extracting herself to avoid waking the redhead up. She felt a bit sticky from the day before and decided to shower off before Alex got up. After her shower, Maggie threw on a loose t-shirt and the boxer shorts she found still on the floor from the night before. She rummaged through Alex’s cabinets, looking for ingredients to make pancakes. She was pleasantly surprised to find everything she needed and wondered whether that wasn’t Kara’s doing. The girl did seem to love her breakfast foods…well really all foods, but breakfast in particular. 

Maggie had a whole stack of pancakes staying warm in the oven when Alex stumbled into the kitchen. “I feel like this is getting to be a pattern,” she yawned.

“False,” Maggie corrected her, “yesterday you made breakfast.”

“Yesterday I bought breakfast.”

“Either way,” Maggie laughed, “I got food out of it.”

“Mmm, so what kind of food do I get today?”

“Pancakes. Hope that’s okay?”

“That’s better than okay.” Alex came up behind Maggie and wrapped her arms around her waist, letting her chin drop down to Maggie’s shoulder. “You’re making me pancakes that I don’t have to share with Kara, so it’s basically like the best morning ever.”

“I knew it,” Maggie muttered to herself.

“Knew what?”

“Oh, you just already had all the ingredients for pancakes. In massive quantities. So I assumed it was probably a Kara thing.”

“Ah, yes. But I like them too, so please keep cooking.”

“One day you’ll learn to do this on your own.”

“I eagerly await further instructions.”

They chatted comfortably over breakfast, Alex enjoying having first dibs on the pancakes for a change, though unlike Kara, she left Maggie more than two. 

“So,” Alex began, “if I weren’t here, what does a weekend morning look like for Maggie Sawyer?”

“Uhm, I don’t know. Maybe a run. Catch up on some grading. Reread whatever I assigned my classes. Actually, normally I procrastinate on the work stuff by doing the crossword puzzle.”

“Wait you like the crossword too?”

“Yeah…”

“Want to do one together?” 

Maggie couldn’t say no to the eager look on Alex’s face, so she nodded, wondering how they were already acting so…domestic. She ran to the door, grabbing a newspaper that was sitting in the hallway, then dragged Maggie over to the couch, flopping down next to her and kissing her cheek. 

“You get a print newspaper, Danvers? I know the whole academic stereotype thing, but I thought that was for English and history professors, not astrobiologists.”

“Oh shush. When Kara came out as Supergirl, I found myself buying them almost daily to, you know, clip articles about her. Save them. After a few weeks, I realized I had already spent what an entire year’s subscription would have cost me. Plus, now it comes straight to my door, so no pants required on weekends. And once it was here daily, I started doing the crossword because, well, why waste paper?”

Maggie smiled; it was adorable how protective and proud Alex was of Kara. “Can I confess something?”

“Sure,” Alex said warily.

“I haven’t done one in print in years.”

“Oh, that’s fine. It’s not different, unless you’re telling me you cheat and just look up all the answers as you go.”

“No, but maybe you’d say it’s cheating. The electronic version has a thing that lets you know if you got the answer wrong as you’re typing.”

Alex crinkled her nose. “That’s totally sort of cheating.”

“It doesn’t have to be! Just think of it as…playing by twenty-first century rules.”

Alex shook her head, tapping a pencil against the newspaper. “Today you’re traveling back in time.”

They sat like that for a while, Alex shouting out clues while Maggie put on coffee. Eventually Maggie stole the section from Alex, claiming that she needed to be able to see it with her own eyes to get any of them. When they still had a whole empty block after an hour, Alex relented, letting Maggie look up one of the actors from an old TV show to give them some sort of start. When they finally finished the puzzle, generally convinced that they had everything correct, Alex grinned up at Maggie. “Isn’t it more satisfying this way?”

“Actually, the online one opens a window telling you everything is correct and giving you a score so you can see how much faster you were than everyone else who tried.”

Alex’s smile faltered a bit. She was competitive enough that the idea of a ranking chart sounded rather amazing. “Whatever, it’s nice having it here in print.” 

Maggie just laughed and nodded along. “Both ways are good.”

After a few minutes of cuddling, Alex looked up, “You smell like my soap.”

“Oh, I hope that’s okay. I showered this morning and used some.”

“No! It’s really fine. I like it, actually. I was just confused.” Alex remembered how sweaty they had gotten the day before. “Do you mind if I go shower?”

“Nah, go for it. Is it okay if I call my parents? I should really see how their Thanksgiving went.”

“Of course! Make yourself at home.” 

While Alex was in the shower, Maggie took a deep breath, preparing herself for the barrage of questions and stories and unsubtle reminders about how long it had been since she’d been home for a nice long trip.

“Maggie!” A loud voice rang through the phone.

“Hey, Ma. How are you? How was Thanksgiving?”

“It was wonderful, but we missed you. You know, now that you’re not on the force anymore, it wouldn’t hurt you to come home for the holidays. They give the students off, don’t they?”

“Just Thursday and Friday.” She didn’t mention that a lot of faculty also took Wednesday off. She was new, after all; it wouldn’t look good for her to already be shirking her responsibilities.

“Even so. You’ll have a long break for Christmas, though, I know that much. Will you be gracing us with your presence?”

“Of course, Ma. I’m going to have to be here part of the time, but I’ll make it up for a few days.”

“I’m going to assume you mean a week by ‘a few days.’”

“Yes, yes.”

“And now how is Alexandra? Will we be meeting her when you come home?”

“It’s Alex, Ma. And isn’t it a little early for that?”

“You met her mother. Why shouldn’t we also get the chance to meet the woman that’s finally getting our baby to settle down a little?”

“It’s not even been a whole month.”

“Bull, Margherita. You talked about that girl for too long for it not to be serious. Besides, by Christmas it’ll be two months even by your count. Problem solved.”

Maggie could just picture her mother dusting her hands with a congratulatory smile on her face. “We’ll see, okay? Besides, I met her mother for an afternoon. This would be a much longer time. And I only met her mother; I assume you wouldn’t let Alex go without meeting the whole family.”

“Why would she come all the way out here only to meet your father and me?”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“You know both of your dad’s sisters were here with their families. And all of their children showed up. Some of them even brought girlfriends and boyfriends.”

“Ma,” Maggie whined, “They live in Chicago! It’s not that far away.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just know that a mother likes to show off a little. But I promised them you’d be here for Christmas. And I suggested that you’d be here with someone special.”

“Ma! What if we, you know, don’t make it?”

“Oh, Maggie, dear. Why do you always have to do that?”

“Do what?”

“Sabotage your own relationships. Ever since Kate…”

“I don’t want to talk about her. Besides, I was on the force. No one wants to stick around when you’ve got crazy hours like that.”

“Kate didn’t mind…”

“Well things ended anyway, didn’t they?” Maggie snapped.

“I know, I know. I’m stopping now. So tell me about Alex. How was her mother? Did she cook well?”

“Not as well as you, Ma.”

“Of course not. But were you well-fed?”

“Yes, don’t worry. Her mom was nice. She made sure I knew not to hurt her daughter.”

“See! Now her mother got to express all of her concerns. Why can’t I ask Alex what her intentions are with you?”

“Because it won’t just be you! It’ll be everyone. Alex’s family is small…like two-person small. We’d be throwing Alex to the wolves.”

“We’re not that bad.”

“We’ve got like forty Italian- and Mexican-Americans running around the house.”

“You love your family.”

Maggie smiled because she really did, no matter how much they fought and drove each other crazy. “Yes, of course I do. I grew up with them. But I have a feeling it could be a little overwhelming for Alex. We’re not a quiet bunch, you know.”

“Who likes quiet?”

“Point proven, Ma.” Maggie laughed and shook her head, knowing that even if Alex didn’t come home for Christmas, she was just deferring the inevitable. One day Alex would be forced to deal with all of the aunts and uncles and cousins in full force. Maggie gasped when she realized that she was thinking like that, like she and Alex already had a guaranteed future. She didn’t hate it, but she also chastised herself to not get overly invested too early…just in case. When she tuned back into the conversation, she heard her mom talking more about her cousins and what they were all doing. She tried to throw in a few questions, but at this point, it was best just to let her mom keep talking until she ran out of stories. She estimated that she probably had another half hour at the rate this was going. 

About ten minutes later, Alex came out of the bathroom, her short hair wrapped in a towel. Maggie swallowed thickly when she saw that Alex was in just a t-shirt and little blue boyshorts, her long, lean legs on full display. She scrawled across the top of the newspaper: “Sorry! 15 more minutes hopefully.”

“It’s fine,” Alex said quietly, curling up next to Maggie while she thumbed through the paper, looking to see what the reporters thought about Supergirl’s latest battles. After a few long minutes, Alex felt herself growing restless. She had taken a long shower, assuming she would have her girlfriend back by the time she got out. She may have let her mind wander…she thought back to the day before and shivered in anticipation of the day to come. She knew they were headed to Maggie’s place to look in her drawer, but she had no idea what to expect. Of course, she generally expected sex. And fun. But other than that, she wasn’t quite sure. As she let her mind wander again, she felt her skin flush with need. She wondered how much longer Maggie would be. At this point, the brunette’s eyes were wandering around the apartment walls, and she seemed to just be nodding every so often with a murmured, “Mhm.” 

Deciding that Maggie could use a slight distraction, Alex began running her fingers lightly up and down Maggie’s thighs. Maggie wiggled her hips and gave Alex a quizzical look, but she didn’t say stop. So Alex kept her fingers moving, with each stroke moving slightly higher up her thigh. 

Maggie felt her heart rate speed up as her breathing grew shallower. She tried to tune back into the conversation but heard her mother going on still about her cousin Maria and how well Maria was doing in law school. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Maria, but it was an update that probably could have been condensed into one sentence, rather than stretched into an extended story. 

Seeing that Maggie was doing a remarkable job of staying calm, Alex moved her hands to Maggie’s hips, letting her fingers dip below the loose waistband to scratch through the coarse hair there. She grazed the very tops of Maggie’s thighs, creeping closer and closer.

Maggie’s breath caught. Alex wouldn’t. Right? No, it was Alex. Flustered, stuttering Alex. The Alex who had been closeted for over a decade. The Alex who went for years without sex. The same Alex who fucked her with a strap-on and talked dirty to her for hours yesterday… Maybe she would after all… A minute later, she felt a tentative finger dip lower, grazing against her clit. Maggie gasped, then coughed, attempting to cover the noise. “I’m fine, Ma! I promise. Sorry, I was just eating something and it got stuck.” Then, “Yes, Ma. Alex knows where I am if I die alone in my apartment.” Once her mom had ascertained that she wasn’t dying, she went back to her updates about the cousins. By Maggie’s count, there were only three left to cover before she could make Alex pay for that. 

But when Maggie’s eyes glazed back over again, having been lulled into a sense of security, Alex moved her hand back down, trailing the inside of Maggie’s thighs, then back up, letting her fingers tease Maggie’s entrance. Alex had planned on leaving it at gentle teasing. But when she found how wet Maggie already was, she really didn’t think it fair to deprive the poor woman.

Maggie threw a warning glare down at Alex, but when Alex looked at her with an arched eyebrow and a mischievous glint in her eyes, all she could do was smile and shake her head. She suspected that there were plenty of ways she could get her back for this later. Seeing the smile, Alex slowly pried the boxer shorts off Maggie’s body, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. Lowering her head, she gently spread Maggie’s thighs, letting her tongue flit across Maggie’s clit. 

Whatever Maggie had been expecting, this was not it. She knew she should tell Alex to stop, but she also really didn’t want to. What she wanted to do was get off of this damn phone call. She looked at her phone, seeing that it had already stretched well past half an hour. Murmuring another sound that made it appear like Maggie was listening closely, Maggie quickly muted the call. “Alex!” she hissed. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making your phone call more enjoyable,” she taunted, dropping her head and lavishing a long slow lick up the length of Maggie’s pussy.

Maggie shuddered. “My mother!” Maggie mouthed. Even though she knew there was no way her mom could hear anything at this point, she was still a bit paranoid. 

“Your mother has been keeping you away from me on what is supposed to be my weekend,” Alex pouted.

“Sorry, do you want me to explain that to her? ‘Hey, Mom! Sorry, I really need to go. My girlfriend, yeah the one that you still haven’t gotten to meet, her, well, see, we had this bet, and she really just wants to fuck me already. K bye!’”

Alex shrugged. “I might have phrased it differently, but you’re hitting all the key points.” 

Maggie just shook her head, laughing quietly at the ridiculousness of the situation. Alex moved her head back down, adjusting Maggie slightly to be in an angle that was easier on her neck. “Carry on,” Alex murmured before letting her tongue drop back down, giving Maggie far more attention than the teasing licks she had enjoyed earlier. 

Maggie threw the phone back against her ear just in time to hear her mother ask, “Maggie? Did you hear me? I asked if you saw the pictures of Laura’s new boyfriend on Facebook.”

Maggie steeled herself. She knew full well that she had done this to women before, but she hadn’t realized exactly how hard it was to be the one on the phone. She clicked the call off mute, “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t see them, but if you want to let me go, I’ll go look on my phone now.” … “No, I don’t have my computer handy. I promise I’ll look later.” She resigned herself to a few more minutes when her mom insisted that she just tell her “one last story” before letting her go.

Alex looked up in time to see Maggie desperately hitting the mute button before letting out a loud groan, followed by a string of expletives. She dove back in, letting her tongue dip deep inside, before dragging it roughly back up and taking her clit in her mouth. “Fuuuuck,” Maggie exhaled. “You!” She pointed at Alex. “Wait one second.” Alex quickly stopped, making Maggie whimper at the sudden lack of contact. She unmuted her phone, letting her mom reach the end of her sentence before interjecting, “Hey, Ma. I’m so sorry, but I really do need to go now. I have a lunch date. … Yes, with Alex. … I’ll tell her you asked. I really need to go, though. Don’t want to be late. Bad impressions. Okay, love you, bye!” She quickly hung up and tossed her phone to the floor. “Now, Danvers, you’re going to fucking finish what you started.”

Alex winked up at Maggie before diving back in, sucking hard on Maggie’s clit while she dragged her nails down Maggie’s chest. Within seconds, Maggie felt her whole body tensing before everything came crashing down, her body trembling but finally relaxing after far too much teasing. 

Once she caught her breath, she roughly but playfully dragged Alex up by her shirt. “You will pay for that.”

“I don’t think you minded all that much,” Alex teased, making a show of wiping her chin off with a knowing smirk.

“Just wait. I don’t forget.” Alex rolled her eyes, but Maggie knew she would make good on her promise one of these days.

“Anyway, I believe I was promised a trip to your apartment today.”

“Fine, get dressed,” Maggie said in a tone of mock exasperation.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the awkward break at the end--if I kept it with the next chapter it would have been insanely long. Longer/smuttier chapter tomorrow to make up for it :)

One stop for a light lunch later, they arrived at Maggie’s apartment.

“Alright, Sawyer, you saw mine, now show me yours.”

“Right to the point. I like it,” Maggie laughed.

“That is literally the point of this weekend.”

“Fair enough. They’re in the nightstand. But wait! Alex!” Maggie chased after Alex who was already halfway to the bedroom. “Hey,” she said, pulling Alex by the waist. “Some of this stuff is, you know, different. Not bad, but just, it doesn’t all have to be for us.”

Alex shrugged. “It’s fine, Maggie. But if it makes you feel better, you go first, and take out whatever you want to show me. I mean, eventually I’ll get curious enough to snoop on my own, but if you don’t want me to see it today, that’s cool too.”

Maggie smiled, looking relieved. Ironically, that statement actually made her want to show Alex everything, trusting that Alex would withhold judgment and not rush to any conclusions. “C’mon, Danvers.” 

Alex kicked off her shoes and hopped onto the bed, crossing her legs as she waited for Maggie to start throwing things to her. The first few were all dildos. One looked a lot like the ridged purple one Alex liked, but it was smaller. “Don’t worry. They’re either new or just mine and sanitized.” Alex nodded, glad to hear that Maggie was taking health risks seriously. 

Next came a rather serious looking thing that looked too large to be a dildo. Seeing Alex’s confused look, Maggie clarified, “Vibrator.”

“Oh, wow. Looks impressive.”

Maggie blushed a bit. “I figured I’d invest. Back when I was a detective I didn’t have much time for going out, but I was stressed all the time, so…yeah.” Alex didn’t mind the mental imagery there.

Next came lube, gloves, and some condoms, plus what looked like large purple rectangles. “Dental dams,” Maggie helpfully supplied. “If you’re gonna play with strangers, at least play safe, right?”

“Right, yeah. So is that it?”

Maggie shook her head. “That’s what I knew you’d be down with.”

“Well…if you’re okay with it, can I see the rest?”

“I guess, yeah.” Maggie figured it would be better to find out if Alex was oddly judgmental now rather than waiting until later. Not that she needed any of this stuff to enjoy sex, but still. Some people were weird about even knowing their partners had done anything outside of very vanilla sex. Though, she reasoned, Alex was just dipping her toes into the lady pond and was already fucking with a strap-on like a champ. So she tossed a handful of stuff onto the bed for Alex to sort through.

Alex picked up the first item. “A blindfold?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.”

“Could be fun.”

“Really?” Maggie asked, fighting to keep the pleased smile off her face for now.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know how much I’d like it in practice, but Alice and Dana made it look fun enough.” Maggie laughed, glad to see Alex was putting her gay education to use. “And rope…”

“If you get the right stuff, it’s actually safer than most handcuffs. There’s some bondage tape over there too,” Maggie said, motioning to a roll of black tape Alex hadn’t noticed before. “Some people are into light restraints. I’m not down for doing hands and legs at the same time or anything crazy. But just hands can be fun if you’re safe about it.”

Alex nodded. She could see that, though she wasn’t sure how she’d take it. She had been told by more than one person that she had “control issues.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Maggie, literally everything you’ve shown me so far is an item that Alice and Dana used. And that’s Dana. Also, it was on TV. I’m pretty sure I’m okay.”

Maggie shrugged. “Alright. Just let me know, okay?”

“Oh!” Alex startled a bit when she pulled up the next box. “I, um, yeah I recognize that.” It wasn’t the same thing product she had accidentally ordered, but clearly they were for similar uses.

Maggie glanced up to see what Alex was holding. “Oh, yeah, I had an ex who really liked the whole double penetration thing.” She rushed to clarify, “That’s not hers! Nope, no. That went with her. I just figured I would get one in case anyone else did.”

“I think we’re gonna put that back.” Alex blushed scarlet.

“Okay. Just, if you change your mind, it’s here. No judgment, obviously.”

“For now, I’m really okay. But thanks.”

Alex picked up the last items on the bed: massage oils, more lube, and an Altoids tin? “Is this literally for bad breath?”

“OH! Shit. No. Uh, that’s really not a thing we need to see.”

Now Alex was way too curious to give it back. She popped the lid open only to find…cigarettes. “Do you smoke?”

“Not really…”

“Was this for some like elaborate role play?”

“No. I have trouble staying in character for those… Umm, but yeah, those aren’t cigarettes, per se. But! In my defense, it’s basically totally legal in California.”

“‘Basically totally legal’? Did they teach you that at the police academy?” 

Maggie blushed, but Alex was laughing and didn’t look mad. “Sorry, it’s just here because, well, I don’t know. I have all my other shit in here?” Maggie laughed nervously.

“Maggie, I really don’t care. Do you know the number of people who have offered to buy me weed just to get me to relax a little? Or, as one dear friend from the early years of undergrad put it, ‘get the stick out of your ass.’ Plus, I’m friends with Vicky. She’s an English professor. I’m pretty sure the whole department just like lights up on Friday afternoons. Or mornings. I don’t know.

“I don’t know about the Miltonists. The poetry professors for sure, though.” Maggie was glad to see Alex taking everything in stride. “Uh, well, I guess it’s just one or two things left.”

“Okay, if you want.”

“Well, look, this isn’t a thing we have to do. And it’s not a thing I need or was all that into. Or like, sure, yes, I liked it when I was doing it. But you know, I like what we’re doing now.”

“Maggie…what is it?” 

Maggie finally pulled out a small paddle, looking anywhere but up at Alex.

“Okay,” Alex said.

“Okay?” Maggie asked

“Yeah, okay. It’s not like you whipped out a gimp suit.” 

Maggie let out a loud barking laugh. “No, trust me, I do not have that.”

“So is that it?”

Maggie bent down to check. She saw a glimmer of an item, but when she picked it up, she quickly threw it back in and slammed the door shut. “Yep! That’s all!”

“Maggie…” Alex whined. “I saw something. I know that’s not it.”

“Seriously Alex, you don’t want to see it.”

“Now I definitely do! C’mon, I was totally fine with the blindfolds and the restraints and the hitting thing. I wasn’t even that weird about the butt dildo.”

“Butt plug,” Maggie corrected.

“Whatever. I still don’t want it up my ass.”

“I prefer to leave it outside of mine too, so I guess it’ll stay in pristine condition.”

“I’m not forgetting this. What is it? Need I remind you that you went snooping through my stuff to find my toys while I was at work?”

“It wasn’t snooping!” Maggie defended herself. “It was an accident. I was trying to be nice and put away your clothes.”

“I know, I know. I’m just teasing. But pleeeeasssseeeee,” she whined. 

“Nope.”

Alex put on a puppy dog pout and slung her upper body over the side of the bed.

“Still no, Danvers.”

Alex sighed; it had come to this. She tickled Maggie and, while the other woman was distracted, rolled her over and pried open the cabinet. 

“Don’t!” Maggie yelled, but it was too late.

“What the fuck is this? Is this my sister?” Alex held up a small Supergirl toy that, when she pressed the button, suddenly vibrated to life.

“It was a, uh, humorous parting gift. From my partner back at Gotham PD. He told me he’d give me a thousand bucks if I could bed National City’s resident superhero. He thought she might have played for our team. And I mean, I guess he was right. Not that it matters! But just so you know: I have never used it. I don’t intend to use it. I just threw it in there and forgot about it. Until, well, until I found it just now. But you were here. So it wasn’t a good time to toss it.”

Alex tried to collect herself. “Okay…I trust you if you say that you have not used it. Please tell me you weren’t actively trying to pursue that bet?”

“No! I mean, a thousand dollars would be nice to have, but I wasn’t gonna turn some woman into a weird sexual game.”

“Okay. I believe you. Now…this partner of yours. Where can I reach him?”

“Al, I promise, he meant it as a joke. A tasteless joke, but, right, just a joke. They have all sorts of novelty sex toys that are meant for fun. I’m sure they weren’t aware that Supergirl had a sister when they were coming up with things like that.”

Alex was still fuming. “I don’t like the idea of men fetishizing my sister like that.”

Maggie bit back a grin, knowing it wasn’t appropriate. “Um, well, most people in the market for a vibrator are women…so it’s not really men that are objectifying her with this…”

“Okay, yeah, let’s just get rid of this…thing. And never speak of it again.”

“Deal!” Maggie quickly threw the toy under her bed.

Alex laughed. “Did you really just dispose of something by throwing it under your bed? Are you a child?”

“No…it was just the first thing that came to mind.”

“Huh. Interesting. Would I find anything else under there?”

Maggie poked her head down. “A little dust. I think that’s three socks I count. Maybe a napkin. And something I’ve been told never to mention again.”

“Alright. Well, maybe we go distract ourselves with something.”

“Buffy?” Maggie offered.

“Sounds perfect.”

They went out to the living room and binge watched a few episodes of Buffy. Alex found she rather enjoyed the show, though it was goofier than what she normally liked. “So why did you say this was part of the lesbian canon?”

“You’ll see. Give it some time. About season three we get some hints, then season four we finally get there. Then you’ve got it through to the end.”

“Ugh, it’s gonna take us forever to get there,” Alex whined.

“We’ve got all of winter break coming up, don’t worry. Speaking of which…I don’t know that it’s the right time to ask, but my mother wants to know when she’s going to meet this lovely woman who’s made her daughter so happy. She wants me to come home for a week over break…and ideally bring you with me.”

“To Nebraska?”

“Yeah.”

“For a week?”

“Yep.”

“To meet your family?”

“The whole lot of them.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s okay, really. I knew it was too soon. She won’t be mad at you, I promise. She’ll assume it was me, but that’s fine. I’ll still go, which will appease her for now.”

“No, no. Hey, you met my family. And I suppose we’ve been friends for longer. So I should try to meet them. Plus, any excuse to spend a little less time at home is a welcome one.”

“You and Eliza were good for the most part on Thanksgiving,” Maggie challenged.

“Yes, but that’s because it was in moderation. We’re always going to butt heads. It’s okay. I know she loves me; she knows I love her; and we both know that longer than a day or two, and we’ll kill each other.” 

“Fine. Well, if you want to come, I’ll let my mother know soon. I’m sure she’ll need time to convene a large party for your welcome.”

“Am I already regretting this?”

“Probably,” Maggie laughed. “But it means a lot to me.”

Alex leaned over and kissed Maggie softly, letting her hands rest on Maggie’s shoulders.

“Should we head back to your place to enjoy the rest of our sex weekend?”

“Well, I did bring some of the, um, stuff we might use.”

“Aww, you packed your bag of toys, Danvers?”

“You make it sound like some perverted playdate.” Alex pursed her lips.

“Don’t look so mad. I’m glad you brought them. I think we ate every fresh vegetable left in your house last night; it’ll be nice to cook you dinner without feeling like I’m back in the hunter/gatherer days.”

“It’s not that bad!”

“No, it’s not. But still, I like knowing where everything is.”

“Yeah, yeah. But it’s a little early for dinner…” Alex trailed off suggestively.

“Do you have something in mind? Another Buffy?” Maggie teased.

“I think I know something better than Buffy.”

“Blasphemy!” Maggie gasped, letting Alex drag her back to the bedroom, grabbing her travel bag on the way. 

“See something you want to play with?” Maggie quirked her lips upwards. 

“Right now? You.” Alex pounced on top of Maggie, throwing them both back against the bed. She kissed her hard, running her nails up Maggie’s abs as she lifted her shirt up. “Can these come off?”

“Yeah,” Maggie panted, amazed at how quickly she was ready to go. “We should probably, you know, just get it all off awhile. No use in prolonging the inevitable.”

“One step ahead of you,” Alex laughed, already wriggling out of her jeans. 

Their clothes were soon strewn across the floor, and Maggie took the opportunity to climb on top of Alex, letting her thigh rest between Alex’s legs as she pulled Alex back into a kiss. She let her hands wander freely as her tongue flicked across Alex’s lips, demanding entrance. Alex moaned when she felt Maggie gently suck on her lower lip, and Maggie could feel her heart racing as Alex pushed up against her thigh, leaving a wet streak down her leg. 

“So, Dr. Danvers, it’s still your weekend. What do you want?”

“I want you to fuck me.”

“With what?”

Alex paused. “Hands first. Then toy. The purple one again.”

Maggie nodded, grinning. She was glad to see Alex being straightforward about what she wanted. Especially if they were going to try any of Maggie’s toys, she wanted to know that Alex wouldn’t hesitate to stop her or tell her what she did and didn’t like. 

Maggie let her fingers drift down Alex’s body, dipping into the wetness she found there and circling back up to rub circles around her clit with wet fingers. Alex moaned into it. When Maggie moved to slip a finger inside of Alex, Alex grabbed her wrist. “I’m close,” she panted. “Can you just stay here? Just my clit. We’ve got all day.”

Maggie smiled and nodded. Moving her fingers back up to Alex’s clit as she lay her upper body down next to Alex’s, trailing soft kisses across her neck and chest as her fingers went to work.

“Faster,” Alex moaned, grinding into Maggie’s hand.

Maggie quickly complied, increasing her pace as much as she could. She could see Alex panting, her eyes squeezed shut as her body stiffened. And then, in an instant, she came, her back arching up into Maggie’s touch as she gasped in pleasure. She quickly shimmied away from Maggie’s touch, everything a little too sensitive for now. “Do you want to go get the toy now? It’s in my bag there along with your harness. I just need a couple minutes.” 

“Take as long as you want, Al. But yeah, I can get it on.” Maggie bent over to kiss Alex softly before she got off the bed.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically just a whole (long) chapter of smut and kinky smut at that (though with conversations before and after), so if that's not your thing, I promise no plot will be missed if you skip this one ;)

Watching Maggie do up the straps of her harness, Alex debated what to say. She had questions, but she wasn’t sure if it was a good time. Finally, she cleared her throat, trying to force herself to say something by getting Maggie’s attention.

“Yeah?” Maggie asked.

“I, um, well.” Alex tried to find a good starting point.

Maggie, noticing her hesitation, put the toy on her nightstand and hopped into the bed next to Alex. “What’s up? Do you want to talk about something?”

Alex nodded.

“Is it about something you saw?”

Alex nodded again.

“Do you not like something?”

Alex shook her head this time. “It’s more…I’m curious.”

“Okay. Yeah, that’s fine. What about?”

“Well…right, the blindfold and restraints and stuff, do you use them on people, or do people use them on you?”

“Generally I’ve used them on people.”

“So is that like a BDSM thing?”

“I mean, it’s like light play, some of it can be more, but yeah.”

“So that would make you the dominant one?”

“Yes, but not in any sort of 24/7 thing or even all the time in bed. Not even most of the time.”

“Are you opposed to being the submissive one?” Alex asked.

“Uh, I don’t know. I guess no one ever asked? I mean, there are always first times,” she chuckled nervously. “I hadn’t been fucked with a strap-on before, yet here you are.”

“Right. It’s just…I wouldn’t, or maybe I wouldn’t mind, you know, maybe letting you use some of those things with me. Not necessarily right now. But I think, I think I’m a little uncomfortable with it being all one-way.”

Maggie nodded her head. “That’s okay too. Just because no one ever asked doesn’t mean I’m completely unwilling. I trust you to take care of me, which is more than I can say about a lot of the women I’ve been with. Not because they were bad people, but just because we weren’t a serious thing.” She didn’t add that most women just saw the cop uniform and the leather jacket and her smirk and assumed she would be the top. She would be aggressive and dominant. She would fuck without being fucked. And she liked it, honestly, she did. She got off on the power too. But she wouldn’t mind being vulnerable. Or at least, she wouldn’t mind it with Alex.

“Okay, well, if that’s the case, maybe you tell me a little bit more about what you like? So we can, I don’t know, figure out what maybe we could do together?”

“I think that’s great. And can I just say? I know you’re new to the whole being open about sex and sexuality thing, but you’re really doing such a good job with these conversations.”

Alex flushed with pride; she always loved being told how good she was, and she stopped getting grades back a long time ago. “Thanks. So, well, what do you like about the paddle? That’s the one that probably confuses me the most.” She didn’t add that it also intrigued her. She had liked Maggie’s nails digging into her just a little too hard.

“Well, right, it’s not about hurting the other person. And I’d never start with the paddle! You’d start with your hands, gentle slaps, just to see if it’s something you like. Some people like a little bit of pain. But you have some sort of system. Check-ins. A safeword. You know? A lot of people do a color system that way there’s some variant between yes and no, like a ‘not now’ or a ‘maybe.’”

“Well,” Alex figured if she was going to voice any sort of desires, Maggie was a good enough person to listen. “Maybe we try that. With your hands. If you’re into it.”

Maggie felt a small shudder run through her body. Yes, it was definitely something she’d be into trying with Alex. “We can, yeah. What do you want your safeword to be?”

“Can we do the three option thing?”

“Sure. I’ve done green, yellow, and red a lot. It’s simple. A lot of people use it.”

“That works. I assume it’s the intuitive order there of green being fine and red being a strong no, with yellow in between?”

“Exactly. So, uh, what were you thinking?”

“Well, I still want you to fuck me. But maybe, if you want to, like, lightly use your hands. That could be a thing. That we do.”

“Okay,” Maggie tried to be reassuring about it without pressuring Alex. “Where would you want me to use my hands?”

“Oh. I didn’t realize there were options. I just sort of assumed it would be, you know, my ass.”

“We can, yeah. But there are options. For the future. If you ever want.”

“Firm no on my face.”

“I’m not comfortable with that either. Just so you know.”

“Right, yeah. You should have input. Sorry.”

“You’re fine, Al. But, I don’t know. Normally I stick to butt and thighs. And I tend to play a little lighter. Not big into leaving a ton of bruises or anything.”

“That sounds great to me. Maybe stick with my butt for now?”

“Sure. Do you want this during? Or before?”

“Oh.” Again, Alex hadn’t quite thought about it.

Hoping to be helpful, Maggie offered, “Maybe we try a few light slaps before we start? That way you know if it’s a hard no, and it won’t ruin the moment or anything once we start. Though if you want to stop in the middle of sex, please, please don’t think you’re ruining anything. I always want you to be happy and comfortable first.”

“Yeah okay. You too, you know.”

Over the next few minutes, Maggie practiced gently spanking Alex, letting Alex dictate what she liked and when she wanted anything. Alex found that she enjoyed the sensation and might have been okay with a little more, but she didn’t want to press Maggie yet.

“Well, if you liked that, do you want to get on your knees? I can be behind you with, you know, sort of easy access.”

Alex blushed a bit but nodded.

Maggie pulled Alex into her for a kiss first, letting Alex feel loved and safe in her arms, holding her close to her chest. But soon Alex was whining and moaning, begging Maggie to fuck her. But she was smiling too, excited about trying something new. And that smile made Maggie calm, let her know that Alex really was good when she confirmed, “Green.”

Maggie quickly slipped the toy into the harness and covered it with lube. When she got back to the bed, Alex was kneeling, looking a little uncertain. “Where, uh, where should I be?”

“Maybe you want to have your hands in the pillows? I’ll kneel behind you, so leave room for me too.”

“Right.” Alex quickly moved across the bed and leaned forward slightly, letting her hands hit the pillows.

“You might end up wanting to bend down a little further, but you’re find if you want.”

Alex lowered herself, then quickly popped back up. “Do I look weird from that angle? Like maybe you can see too much? Do you know what I’m saying?”

Maggie tried to assuage Alex’s fears. “Alex, you are stunning from every angle. I’m not here looking for flaws; I’m here because I want to be with you, my girlfriend, who I care so much about.”

Alex smiled shyly, then lowered back down to her elbows.

“How you doing?” Maggie checked in.

“Good. Green, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yeah, okay, good.” Maggie moved forward, pushing Alex’s legs further apart. She let her fingers trail up and down Alex’s pussy, making sure that she was still wet, before slowly sliding the toy inside. She started out slowly, but already Alex was moaning. Maggie increased the pace slowly but surely, whimpering each time the base of the toy grazed against her own sensitive clit.

“Do you want me to use my hands a little?” Maggie asked. “I’m fine either way. This is great, this is more than great already. It’s whatever you want.”

“Yeah,” Alex panted. “I want your hands. Light, you know? To start.”

“Of course.” Maggie just ran her short nails gently across Alex’s ass at first, letting her get used to any sensation. She carefully pulled back and let her hand come down, firm but gentle. Alex groaned.

“Color?”

“Green!” Alex gasped.

Maggie continued with the same force, gently spanking Alex as she continued to thrust in and out of her.

“Harder,” Alex whimpered.

“With my hands or my dick?”

“Both.”

Maggie felt a rush of arousal and swore she could feel her own wetness dripping into the harness. She focused on the toy first, thrusting harder and deeper into Alex, groaning loudly at the pressure she felt each time she snapped her hips forward into Alex. She let her hands move back to Alex’s ass and gave a slightly firmer smack.

Alex let her face fall into the stack of pillows in front of her, using them to muffle her gasping moans. She felt so much in that moment, but all she wanted was more. She heard Maggie asking her how she was and panted back, “Green.”

Maggie pumped faster into Alex, feeling how close she was to falling over the edge, but fighting it desperately to stay present and in control for Alex. She reached her left hand around to rub small circles on Alex’s clit as she lowered her other hand back down to gently strike Alex’s ass.

Alex knew she wouldn’t last much longer. Between her clit and the dick and Maggie’s hands, her whole body was on fire and her mind was blissfully blank. She felt a slap that was harder than the others had been—one that stung. She growled into the pillow, thrusting her hips back, desperate for more. Now.

Maggie felt awful. She hadn’t meant to hit that hard. “Color?” Alex’s head was still in the pillows. “Color?” she repeated, needing Alex to confirm that she hadn’t hurt her. She slowed her movements, gently running her hand down Alex’s back to get her attention.

“What?” Alex snapped, moving her own hips more quickly, trying to keep up the momentum.

“Color? You okay?”

“Green! Please, I need you to fuck me. Hard. Now.” Her voice was low and husky, coming out in growling commands. Maggie whimpered, wondering if this was how she sounded when she gave orders. She thought she might not mind bottoming for Alex if she would sound like that… She quickly got back to the pace she had been at, fucking Alex hard and fast, while her hand moved back to circle Alex’s clit. She raised her other hand again, letting it come down against Alex’s ass with a satisfying sting.

Alex gasped and tensed and arched her back, finally coming with a hard thrust from Maggie. Her whole body shook as she let out a loud, low “Fuck!”

Maggie slowly pulled out and helped Alex to nuzzle into the pillows. She threw off the harness and spooned around Alex, holding her and stroking her hair gently, making sure she was still okay. “Color?” Maggie asked after a few minutes.

“Green. Still green.”

“Good.”

Alex enjoyed the feeling of Maggie’s hands running through her hair and across her back, but after a few minutes, she grew impatient. “I heard you gasping during that too…”

“You know I like being with you, babe.”

“Yeah, but do you want anything more?”

Maggie swallows a whimper. “I want to be here for you.”

“I’m really okay. I promise. I feel safe and protected and warm. But I also feel a little…” Alex tried to find the right word: “bored. Not because I don’t like spooning with you. But because it’s the middle of the day, and I’m wide awake, and your naked body is pressed into mine, and I know I heard you gasping while you were fucking me, and there’s nothing I want more than to make you come.”

“If you insist.” Maggie smirked.

Alex grinned. “Now, if I’m remembering correctly, and I know there’s a good chance my recollection is a little…foggy, I believe I heard you almost coming when I yelled at you. Also, sorry about that. I was just so close, and suddenly you were stopping.”

“It’s okay. I was just nervous about you, first time we were doing that, you know?”

“Yeah. But don’t avoid the question.”

“Fine, yes, I liked that.”

“Why?”

Maggie shrugged, “It was hot. You were hot.”

“No shit.” Alex rolled her eyes. “But why?”

“I don’t know. You were super powerful, even if you were ‘bottoming.’”

Alex bit her lip, nodding her head. “Yeah, I get that. Do you think you could be a powerful bottom too?”

Maggie hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to try?”

“Maybe? Or, well, I don’t know that I want to bottom, necessarily. But I know that I want to see you try to top me. Does that make sense?”

Alex nodded. “But, if you’re not going to bottom, but I’m going to top…are we going to wrestle? I’m a little confused.”

A sly smile crept onto Maggie’s face. “Maybe you should get assertive enough to convince me.”

“Just to check, you don’t mean like, assertive as in pushing when you say no right?”

“Oh no. Sorry, let me try again. You’re really hot when you use that voice. And when you did it then, it made me want to do anything you said. So just, do it again.” She flashed a grin at Alex, who just smiled back.

“Challenge accepted.”

Alex rummaged in her bag and pulled out her harness, wrangling into it. She pushed Maggie down a little roughly, looking up to make sure everything was still fine. When it was, she leaned down, kissing her a little forcefully even as her fingertips were light, tracing delicate lines up and down her side.

Maggie could feel all the heat that had been simmering just below the surface while she was taking care of Alex come boiling back up, pooling low in her abdomen. She gasped, “Alex.”

Alex nearly growled with excitement. “Do you want me? Do you want me to fuck you?”

Maggie whimpered in response, nodding yes, please yes.

“Go pick a dick,” Alex instructed, her voice a low rasp.

Maggie hurried back with her smaller ridged dildo, handing it to Alex, then straddling Alex’s lap as she pulled her in to another searing kiss, letting her hands cup Alex’s breasts until she could feel Alex moaning under her.

Alex got set up with the toy, then leaned over Maggie, teasing her until she heard Maggie moaning insistently, felt her hips surging up to meet hers. “What do you want?”

“I want you to fuck me.” Maggie more than wanted it; she needed it; her body was surging forward, trying to meet Alex’s.

“I think I’ll need something from you first…” Alex looked down at Maggie and whispered, “If you don’t like this, just tell me, okay? I just thought it could be fun. It’s still me though.”

Maggie smiled broadly. She knew that it might seem like they had totally lost the moment, but it was perfect. It was so clearly Alex behind the bravado, inhabiting that persona. And she had to say, if how wet she was could serve as any indicator, she loved it.

“What do you need?” Maggie asked, jumping back into the game.

Alex hummed excitedly. “I want to be so hard, so turned on by the time I fuck you that I’m fighting the need to come the whole time.”

Maggie flat-out whimpered. Not the whimpered words she was somewhat used to, at least with Alex. No, this was a needy, impatient, desperate noise that escaped from Maggie’s mouth before she even considered it. “What do you want?”

Alex gave Maggie a small thumbs up with a raised eyebrow, and Maggie nodded her head in return, causing Alex to beam at her. “Well, how do you think you could help?

“If you want to slip that off,” Maggie began suggestively, “I can think of about a dozen ways to leave you seconds away from coming.”

A mischievous smile spread across Alex’s face as she shook her head. “No, I think this stays on.”

Maggie looked confused for a moment before a look of comprehension hit her. “Oh, ohhh. Yeah, okay. You think my mouth could help with that on?” Maggie looked excited, so Alex did too. But Maggie was also nervous. She whispered back at Alex, “Pause! Okay, so, I’m down for this. I’ve had this done to me. But I’ve never done it to a girlfriend. Also, I’ve never done it to anyone. Period. Full stop.”

Alex whispered back, figuring that was their way of keeping it out of the scene. “Don’t worry! If you don’t want to you don’t have to, but just know, since it’s not actually a dick, I won’t feel it if you fuck up or bite down or anything, so that’s a lot of pressure off. Also, no need to worry too much because nothing is going to come shooting out at you.”

Maggie grinned, then switched back to her normal voice, though it was significantly huskier than normal. “I want to do that for you. I need to…if you want me to, if you’ll let me.”

“I knew you’d beg,” Alex smirked. “Now get on your knees.”

Maggie happily obliged, jumping off the bed and pulling a pillow with her for her knees before she settled down, flashing Alex a smile and a thumbs up. “Is this how you want me?” she asked seductively.

Alex’s breath caught in her throat as she stood up and looked down. Maggie looked absolutely perfect, her chest and ass both out and visible as she blinked up at Alex with those big brown eyes. “Yeah,” she finally choked out.

Maggie moved forward slowly, still rather unsure about what to do, even if she knew she wanted to do it. She took the tip in her mouth, surprised at how big it suddenly felt. She was hit with a wave of admiration for the women who did this and loved doing it—and she had met plenty who did. Recognizing that she would never be the type to try to take all of it into her mouth, Maggie let the tip pop back out, running her tongue down the length of it and sucking it back into her mouth with more force this time.

Alex groaned loudly. She had always felt a bit absurd doing it with the guys she had been with. It didn’t help that she never wanted to be there, but still, she also thought it looked demeaning. But watching Maggie suck her cock? There was nothing weak about it. Maggie looked powerful and sexy as fuck. And when Maggie moved a hand to hold onto the base, pushing it hard against Alex’s wet pussy so that she would feel every push and pull of the toy in Maggie’s mouth? Then she did more than look. Within minutes, Alex was desperate. “Please, Maggie. Please. Can I fuck you?”

“That depends,” Maggie teased. “Do you think you’re hard enough? Do you want me enough?”

Alex growled a “yes” in response before picking Maggie up and throwing her down to the bed. “Color?”

“Green.”

“Good. Position?”

“However you want me.”

Alex scooped Maggie up into her arms, leaving the smaller woman looking amazed, though her amazement quickly gave way to powerful arousal. Alex was hot, and Alex was holding her, and Alex was hard for her.

Alex moved her to the side of the bedroom, throwing her up against the wall as she reached for the lube. She let Maggie reach down to rub the lube up and down the dick. Alex licked her lips, watching Maggie’s careful ministrations. Once Maggie was done, Alex carefully used one hand to help guide the toy inside of Maggie before lowering her onto it.

Maggie groaned at the sudden feeling of fullness. She could tell how wet she was by how easily the dick—already one of her bigger ones—slid into her. The cold wall against her back was the perfect complement to Alex’s fiery skin as she clutched Maggie to her, thrusting harder and faster inside of her. The cloth of the o-ring hit against Maggie’s clit with each thrust, leaving Maggie clutching against Alex ever tighter as she fought to retain contact with the harness. It left her clawing at Alex’s back while Alex’s nails dug into her ass, pulling her closer, deeper as she slammed her dick harder and faster into Maggie.

“Vibrator?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah!” Alex looked around. “Yours or mine?”

“Yours. Mine is great, but it’s a little…big for our purposes. I don’t want anything in our way.”

Alex smiled as she carefully reached over to the dresser, pulling the small silver bullet from the pile of toys. “Color?” she checked.

“Still green. You?”

“Same.”

When Alex went to hold the vibrator against Maggie, Maggie shook her head, indicating a small pouch inside the harness where it should go. When Alex pushed it in, she noticed that it would be against the base of the toy and right above her clit, leaving her with two vibrating sensations even as the main benefits theoretically went to Maggie.

When Maggie flipped the vibrator on, Alex gasped. She quickly resumed her pace, fucking Maggie hard and fast, knowing that the faster she did, the more she would feel everything against herself.

Maggie gasped with each thrust, suddenly being overwhelmed with the vibrations against her clit. She knew she wouldn’t last long, but she wanted to try something with Alex, give Alex another opportunity to feel the power that often came with topping.

“Can I come for you yet?” Maggie asked, biting her lip.

Alex almost stopped. She was surprised by the question coming from Maggie, but also very turned on. She decided to try it. “Wait a few more seconds. Wait for me to get closer.” That was a lie, and Alex knew it. She could have come ages ago, but she was holding on. And now she had to hold on just a little longer.

Maggie moaned loudly at Alex’s answer. When Alex began fucking her even harder, she wound her fingers through Alex’s short hair, pulling lightly as she tried to breathe away her orgasm, for now.

Alex, noting how absolutely desperate, how fucking wrecked Maggie looked (and how close she was to losing all control), finally nodded. “Come for me, Mags.”

And with a shudder, Maggie came hard against Alex, feeling the vibrator draw out a series of successive smaller orgasms as she collapsed into Alex’s chest.

Seeing Maggie come undone like that, hearing her screaming—yes, screaming—into her neck, finally drove Alex over the edge. She slammed Maggie back against the wall as she used the last of her efforts just fighting to remain standing as wave after wave of pleasure wracked through her body.

When they had both shuddered to stillness, Maggie reached down, helping Alex turn off the vibrator, then she carefully slipped off the toy and let her feet find the ground. Alex rid herself of the harness before pulling Maggie to the bed where they cuddled again, this time curled inward, looking at each other as they held hands and kissed lightly.

“Did you like that?” Maggie asked, needing to be sure.

“Yes, I absolutely did. You were so fucking hot.”

“So were you.”

“And you? You liked it?”

“You made me both beg and scream—two things I said it would be almost impossible for you to get me to do. What do you think?” Figuring it best to also answer her own question, Maggie continued, “I fucking loved it too. Is it something I always want? Eh, probably not. But still, it was amazing.”

“So you didn’t mind letting me top?”

“No…” Maggie trialed off, toying with the sheets.

“What’s up? What are you not saying?”

“Just, I don’t want this to come out wrong, but, like, I liked seeing you top me because I knew that I was still a top and could be if I wanted to. It was like I had given you permission to take me, to have this sort of temporary space where you were in control. Not because you can’t be powerful or dominant or anything like that. You totally can. And this doesn’t have to be a thing,” Maggie rambled, trying to figure out how to get out what she wanted to say without insulting Alex.

“Mags?” Alex gently stroked Maggie’s hands, pulling them into her chest. “I’m not mad. Trust me, okay? Do you know why I wanted you to beg to get down on your knees today?”

“Because it’s hot?” Maggie guessed.

“Well, that too. But mainly it was because you said it was something you didn’t normally do. So I knew you were letting me see this side of you that wasn’t usual. It was sort of like you giving me permission to top you. And I get that, I get the appeal.”

“Really?” Maggie asked, trying to fight back the hope that had crept into her thoughts, the hope that Alex was really getting it, accepting everything without needing to turn it into a fight.

“Yeah, really. I can see the differences in your mood when we have sex. And when you’re in control? You get this look in your eyes. Like you could devour me, but I’d be so into it. But today when you got down on your knees? It was something new. Like a teasing dare for me to try, which was, I’ll admit, really sexy. But I like it when you’re a little more in control too. I didn’t think I would, and I still like the idea of switching roles occasionally and of having sex where power really isn’t a big thing, but yeah.”

Maggie swept Alex into her arms, holding her close, hoping that the hug could express everything she didn’t have the words to say.

“I got you,” Alex murmured. “Also, I like that none of this is a thing in our day-to-day dating. So you don’t get to boss me around outside of bed still, even if I really want you to keep doing it when you fuck me.”

“Got it! Besides, we all know you’re the angry, bossy one outside of the bedroom.”

“Excuse me,” Alex scoffed, trying to fight back a grin.

“Need I remind you about our first meeting? You tried to make me pour out my coffee just so you could have your mug.”

“If Hank hadn’t interrupted, you would have done just that.”

“Yeah, probably,” Maggie conceded. She shook her head and curled into Alex’s side, glad to see how far they had come from that moment. Shutting her eyes, Maggie let her breathing even out as she felt Alex get comfortable too.

They dozed lightly, holding each other, until a loud growl coming from Alex’s stomach startled them both awake. “Er, I think maybe I could use food.”

“C’mon. You’re getting a cooking lesson so that I can hope for one day coming home to find a hot meal on the table that didn’t come from a delivery box.”

Alex turned over, hiding the huge smile she couldn’t keep off her face at the fact that Maggie just referenced a future where they’d have a home together, a home where they cooked and surprised each other and bickered over stupid things.

“You coming?” Maggie called, already halfway to the door with a t-shirt on.

“Yes, yes. Throw me a shirt?”


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Sanvers fluff for the cold weekend!

“So,” Maggie began, “tell me something about Alex Danvers that I don’t already know.”

“Not at all vague,” Alex teased, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know. What do you want to know?”

“Hmm…favorite music?”

“I went through a very long punk phase in my teenage years that Kara can tell you all about.”

“Of course you did. But continue.”

“In grad school I guess it was whatever was blasting at the club of the night. Normally I was too hungover during my free time to want to subject myself to additional noise. And now? Eh, I’ve got a random mix of stuff. Some top 40 songs for working out; a bit of instrumental if I’m trying to drown something out while doing work; a bit of old school rock and roll for when I’m feeling nostalgic for those punk days.”

“Interesting. Very interesting.”

“And you? Do I get to ask you a question in return?”

“Of course. What kind of woman do you take me for?” Maggie asked with a grin, reaching over to grab the box of gnocchi and add them to the now boiling water.

“Hm…what did you want to be when you were growing up?”

“Well, for a little while I wanted to be the president. I wanted to be an astronaut too, especially when I found out that part of the training involved going on roller coasters to prove that you didn’t get sick. I wanted to be a prince for a while as well.”

“A prince?” Alex interjected. “Always the rebel, I see.”

“I mean, I still wanted to be a girl. But the princesses were always sleeping or locked up somewhere. I wanted to be the one to save the day.”

“And get the girl?”

Maggie smiled warmly, “Yes, I suppose that too. Now it’s my turn. Hmm…worst injuries? Though maybe that’s more of a cop question.”

“Eh, I’ve gotten my fair share. Let’s see, I had a broken wrist as a kid from basketball. A sprained ankle from…well, I assume it was at a club. I just woke up the next day and couldn’t put weight on it. And then a couple cracked ribs and a concussion from one of the times I was helping Supergirl out in her early days.”

“Shit! Did you get hit by an alien?”

“The concussion, yes. The ribs? No. That would be Kara hugging me a little too tight after I received said concussion. But I did get the alien, so not all bad. She never forgave herself, though.”

“Aww, I can imagine that has to be tough. I hadn’t really thought about the downsides to super-strength. I hope Lena is surviving.”

“Nah, Kara has really gotten a handle on the power thing. She’s gotten hugging down to an art—a very controlled art, but an art nonetheless.”

“So she, uh,” Maggie wondered if she should shut up, but then Alex was already looking at her expectantly, “Lena would, um, be safe, right? Even if Kara wasn’t, you know, totally in control?”

Alex looked at her in confusion until suddenly Maggie’s meaning hit her. “Oh! Um, I’m sure they’re fine. Probably not doing that. Safety first. Yeah. Sister. Baby sister.”

“Okay, okay! I’m shutting up now.”

“Right, so my turn to ask a question.” Her stomach growled loudly. “Maybe my question should be how much longer until dinner?”

Laughing, Maggie checked the timer. “Thirty seconds, Danvers. Think you can wait?”

“I’d like to say yes and yet…”

“Well be a dear and pull down the strainer? Also, what kind of sauce do you want?”

“You have options?” Alex asked incredulously.

“Oh my…my mother will have a field day with you. Yes, we’ve got marinara, pesto, and I think maybe a vodka sauce.”

“Vodka sauce?”

“You cook all the alcohol off, but it’s like a creamy tomato sauce with something extra.”

“Hmm, maybe we go with the pesto for today?”

“Sounds good,” Maggie called back to Alex as she walked the pot over to the strainer. “Can you pull it out of the fridge? And get down two bowls.”

Alex gathered all of the supplies and helped Maggie to get all the dishes to the table.

“There’s salad stuff in the fridge if you want a vegetable,” Maggie offered, suspecting that Alex wouldn’t care that much about keeping her food groups balanced.

“We’ll get around to it…maybe.”

They traded questions back and forth over dinner, learning random facts about one another and hearing stories and embarrassing moments from childhood.

“What can I expect from your family, by the way?” Alex asked as they started to clear the dishes.

“Oh right! Let me text my mom first.” Maggie pulled out her phone and typed, “Alex will be joining us for some time over winter break. Be good please.”

“As far as what to expect? I don’t know. I mean, we do the whole seven fishes thing on Christmas Eve, though after my mom’s mom died, we dropped the number a little. Christmas morning is just a big breakfast at our house with my parents and my brother. Then that afternoon we go over to my dad’s family for a big dinner where all the aunts and uncles and cousins get together.”

“Okay, that already is so much more than what we do.”

“What do you guys do?”

“Christmas Eve we watch a movie until my mother makes some snide comment about my failures. I take a bottle of wine up to my room and drink alone until Kara comes up to hang out with me, take me out on the roof with my old telescope or something. Then Christmas day is nice and awkward at first while Kara geeks out about the festivities. That night my mother and I make up to a certain extent, and then we spend a day in peace before I fly back here for work.”

“Huh. I sure hope you can adjust to big groups of people because yeah, it’s gonna be different.”

“Right. I expected that much. But what about your family? I mean, what should I expect from them? I’ve never met anyone else’s family. Wait, no, I’ve met people, but not as a girlfriend.”

Maggie laughed. “I know you’re a workaholic, but I didn’t really think you were that much of a hermit. Um, I guess we could go through the family tree? I can tell you a little bit about them. But maybe you want to do that closer to the trip to try to get a few names and faces under your belt.” Alex nodded. “Overall, they’re a pretty cheery lot. I mean, we have fights like all good families. And you’ll probably see some bickering. But there’s enough of us to distract from it.”

“But,” Alex tried to find the best way to phrase her question, “will they like me? I mean, will they like the fact that I’m with you?”

“I’m sure they will. They’re all going to be happy to see me happy. And the few that aren’t too keen on the gays, well, they don’t really show up to many events. And they’ve learned to only exchange the briefest of pleasantries with me after an…incident.”

“Oh god! What happened?”

“Just one of my uncles—the conservative one who has held staunchly to the ‘socially conservative’ part of the platform—got drunk and started spewing some shit about gay rights and asking for things we didn’t deserve. It was during all the Prop 8 stuff. I called him out. We yelled. He pushed me and, well, I was on the force at that point, so I was in pretty good shape, and I maybe broke his arm. My mother wasn’t pleased that I broke it, but she laughed about it later. Said he got what was coming to him.”

Alex’s eyes widened, and she asked quietly, “Will he, uh, be there?”

“Maybe. But I watched you take down armed criminals. And I’m not too bad myself. Plus, it really won’t come to that. No one took his side that day, and he knows better than to test his luck against all thirty-some of us.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded, significantly more stressed about this trip.

Maggie noticed the creeping fear and pulled Alex into her chest, “If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to go. But please don’t let your reason be one bigoted asshole. He’s in the minority by a landslide, and the worst you’ll get from everyone else is overly personal questions and comments about why you’re not eating enough. I promise.”

Looking slightly relieved, Alex replied, “I want to go. I do. I just, you’ll be with me, right?”

“Every step of the way.” Right as Maggie went to kiss Alex, she heard her phone ringing and jogged over to the table to get it.

“Hello?” … “Hey, Ma. What’s up?” … “Yes, she’s coming.” … “Maybe we can plan later?” … “Because Alex is here, Ma. I don’t want to keep her waiting.” … “Uh, let me see. Hold on.”

Maggie hit mute and turned to Alex, looking rather apologetic. “My mom wants to know if I can put her on speaker so she can start getting a list of your favorite foods together. Is that okay?”

“Maggie! I know when I’m on mute! No one sounds that quiet!” Maggie blushed, and Alex nodded, resigning herself to this first meeting.

Taking the phone off mute, Maggie called back, “Okay. You’re on speaker now. Say hi to Alex.”

“Hi, Alex!” a loud voice rang through the room.

“Hi, Mrs. Sawyer. It’s nice to, uh, meet you.”

“No need for the formalities, hon. You can call me Tina, that’s what everyone else does.”

“Er, right, thank you…Tina.” Alex looked desperately awkward, and it was all Maggie could do to keep from kissing her.

“So Maggie tells me you’re coming to the Sawyers for Christmas?”

“I didn’t say Christmas day, Ma!” She mouthed “sorry” at Alex, who just shrugged.

“Why wouldn’t she come for Christmas? It’s the easiest way to see everyone.”

“She does have her own family,” Maggie retorted.

“Tell her to bring them too!” Tina sounded incredibly excited. “You said there’s only two of them. No one would even notice the extra mouths.”

“Oh, you’d notice my sister’s,” Alex laughed.

“I like cooking for those who like eating,” Tina laughed in response.

“Anyway, what did you want to call about?” Maggie interjected.

“Oh! Well, I want to start planning. You know it’s not even a month away at this point. So tell me, Alex, honey, what do you like to eat? Any allergies? Diets? Not that you need to diet. I saw your photo on Maggie’s Facebook, and really, you look like you could stand to eat a couple extra meals.”

“Ma!” Maggie yelled, “I will hang up this call.”

To her credit Alex just laughed, not minding Tina’s effusive but very friendly demeanor. “I’ll eat pretty much anything. Oh, but not snails.” Alex shuddered at the memory of a very bad date, the last one she’d been on before coming out.

“Don’t worry, I don’t cook them in my kitchen. But I like you already. Not one of those ‘no carb’ gals. Keep her around, Maggie.”

“I’m trying, but you’re making it a little harder to convince her to stay.”

“Shush now, I’m just being considerate. Anyway, I’ll give you two the guest room and let your great aunt Barbara take your room on Christmas night, okay?”

“Why am I getting kicked out of my room?” Maggie whined.

“Excuse me, Margherita, I thought you might prefer to sleep in a queen bed with your girlfriend than to squeeze into your twin. But if that’s your choice…”

“Nope! No!” Maggie called out. “We’ll take the guest room.”

“We don’t have to, though, Mrs. Sawyer. I can sleep on the couch or the floor,” Alex offered, desperate to keep Maggie’s mom from thinking more about the fact that Alex shared a bed with her daughter.

“Call me Tina, hon. And it’s the twenty-first century. I know my daughter, and so I know she’s going to end up in bed with her girlfriend no matter where we put her. Plus, it’s not like we mind. Sex is part of a healthy relationship. Better you than any of those three-date women that she used to take home.”

“Ma!” Maggie yelled, flushing red. “That’s it! I’m hanging up!”

“Maggie, wait!”

“Ugh, what do you need now?”

“Do you need more cookies to get through the end of the semester? Also, you need to buy your plane tickets now before they get too expensive. And send me the dates so I know when we should come pick you up from the airport.”

“Yes, we’ll get on that soon.”

“And the cookies?”

Alex chimed in, still scarlet from Tina’s earlier comments but hoping to make a good impression, “Thank you for the last batch of cookies! They were amazing! But I wouldn’t want to put you out by asking for more.”

“Please! I only offer if I want to make them. We got the pizzelle maker down from the attic, so I’ll send a box over. Share, Maggie.”

“I always do, Ma.”

“We know that isn’t true. But maybe Alex is changing more things about you than I realized…” she trailed off.

“Alright. Love you, Ma.”

“Love you too, Maggie. It was nice talking to you, Alex. I’ll see you soon!”

“You too, Tina. Bye.”

When Maggie was sure the phone was totally off, she looked up at Alex, her eyes wide and apologetic. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Alex laughed. “I put you through a day with Eliza. Hell, I managed to convey to my mother that we were having sex in person, so I’ll take over the phone any day.”

“Fair enough. So…wanna talk plane tickets? I promise you a reward if we can do it now and get my mother off my back.”

“And here I thought the whole weekend was my reward…”


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some kinky smut to celebrate hitting 30 chapters :)

Once the tickets were purchased and the confirmation emails forwarded to Tina, Maggie grabbed Alex’s hand, dragging her back into the bedroom.

As soon as they got to the bed, Maggie pounced on Alex, straddling her lap and pulling her in for a searing kiss. Alex gasped as she felt Maggie’s hands slip under her shirt and graze her sides. Hoping to expedite the process, Alex pulled her own shirt off, leaving her in only underwear. 

“You know I like to do that,” Maggie whined, though she was still smiling.

“I think there’s still something for you to take off,” Alex murmured. Maggie grinned as she quickly dragged the last piece of fabric off of Alex’s body, licking her lips at the sight of her very naked and very beautiful girlfriend. 

“But now I think you need to lose your clothing too. Only fair.”

“Of course. Do you want to do the honors?”

Alex bit her bottom lip and leaned forward, pulling Maggie’s shirt up and over her head before reaching down to tear off her boxer shorts. When she pulled them down, Alex couldn’t help but let her fingers wander. “You’re so wet for me already,” she moaned.

Maggie let out a groan in response, already craving the feeling of Alex under her. “What do you want, Al? I want to make you come.”

Alex’s mind spun with the possibilities. She wanted too many things: Maggie’s mouth, her hands, her toys. Finally she decided to be bold. “I want you to take control.”

Maggie could feel her muscles tense as heat pooled between her legs. Trying to regain control of her breathing, Maggie checked, “Are you sure? Do you want some rules?”

“Just check in with me? We have our words already.” Alex knew that theoretically this was something new, but she wasn’t nervous. She trusted Maggie so much already that it just felt like a natural extension of their earlier adventures. 

“Of course. Is it, is it okay if I give you orders? You can say no to them, you know, of course.”

“I know. I feel safe, Mags. You make me feel safe. But I want you to make me feel good now. I don’t want to have to think anymore; I just want to listen and be here with you. I don’t want to have to be responsible for my decisions for a few minutes, you know?”

Maggie nodded enthusiastically. Licking her lips, she let her voice drop down a few octaves as she ordered, “On your back. Now. Head on the pillows.”

Alex smiled as her skin seemed to catch fire, all of her nerves suddenly awake and alert. She noticed the soft feeling of the flannel sheets on Maggie’s bed. The way her heart thrummed in her chest and the pulsing somewhere distinctly lower. The way Maggie’s abs tensed with a small shudder as her eyes lustfully drank in all of Alex’s body, now sprawled across the bed.

Maggie lowered herself, lavishing wet kisses across Alex’s body before moving back up to her mouth, nipping softly at her lower lip before kissing her hard. “Now, I need you to take your hands and hold onto two of the rungs in the headboard behind you.” She guided Alex’s hands back and helped her find two that wouldn’t become uncomfortable. “I want you to hold onto them and not let go until I tell you that you can, okay?”

Alex nodded, enjoying the low timbre of Maggie’s voice and the response it elicited from her body. “Green,” she confirmed, anticipating Maggie’s next questions. She was given a smile in response—a reward for reminding Maggie how much she wanted this too.

Hearing Alex’s confirmation, Maggie made her way back down Alex’s body, lavishing wet kisses and rougher bites along her inner thighs. She ran her nails up and down Alex’s abs, wetting her lips at the sight of the pink lines that now zig-zagged across Alex’s body. When she heard Alex whimper, she decided to let her off easy for the first orgasm, moving quickly up to her pussy and letting her tongue flick through the copious wetness that had built up there.

“Fuck!” Alex moaned. She hadn’t anticipated Maggie’s movements, which made them even better. She felt Maggie’s pace increasing, her tongue swirling rapidly around her clit. Unsure that she would last much longer, Alex closed her eyes, trying to let the experience last. But when Maggie took her clit in between her lips, sucking hard, as her nails raked up and down Alex’s thighs, Alex couldn’t wait any longer. With a strangled cry, she shuddered under Maggie, feeling the tension begin to seep out of her muscles. 

As the last of the aftershocks swept through her body, Alex reached down to sweep the hair out of Maggie’s face, letting her know that she was good now, she had come. 

“Did I tell you to move your hands?” Maggie asked, her voice cocky and authoritative.

“Um, no?”

“Then you better get your hands back up there before I punish you.”

Alex gulped and reached behind her, grasping for the security of one of the posts. She looked down to see Maggie looking at her with concern.

“Green,” Alex whispered, watching relief wash over Maggie’s face.

“Maybe I should make the rules a little bit more clear. You’re new to this, after all,” Maggie taunted, hoping that Alex wouldn’t mind the teasing within the context of play. “You will keep your hands there until I say so. And your orgasm is not the only end goal here. Certainly not just one. You’ll stay there until I’m satisfied that you’ve come as many times as I need you to. Got it?”

Alex nodded enthusiastically.

“Color?” Maggie checked.

“Very green! Thanks for the explanation.” She blushed slightly, but Maggie just leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, pushing away any attempts at apologies.

“Now, I let you have the first one without much begging. But I think we need to try a few things to make it harder for you. Is that something you want?”

“Yes, please,” Alex whimpered. She could feel her arousal building again and knew she would come quickly no matter what Maggie tried next.

“Since you’re new, how about you choose. Do you want a blindfold, or do you want to wait to come until I tell you to?”

“Pause,” Alex interjected. “Sorry, but is the not coming one the same thing we’ve done before?”

“Sort of. I mean, we did it then, but you only had to wait a few seconds really. This time I’d want you to really wait. I’d build you up, then take you back, then build you up, and take you back, until you were absolutely begging me to come. If that’s something you’re into trying, of course.”

Alex’s hips had already started to buck involuntarily at Maggie’s description, at the rasping quality her voice had taken on. “That one. Yes. Please. Green. I want that one.”

A smirk flitted across Maggie’s face as she settled back between Alex’s legs. “I need you to tell me when you’re getting close, okay? I’ll be able to tell for the most part, but it helps if you’re in tune with your own body too.”

“Yes,” Alex whimpered. “I will. I’ll tell you.”

“Good,” Maggie purred, her voice low and slightly predatory as she dropped her mouth down to Alex’s pussy. With a long, slow lick, Maggie began to build Alex back up, tracing patterns across Alex’s wet folds. She moaned in appreciation at how wet Alex still was, how good she tasted.

Alex could feel herself already nearing the edge. Maggie wasn’t doing much, but the insistent motion of her tongue, coupled with her commanding presence and the mere sight of her sprawled out between Alex’s legs was making Alex shudder with need. As much as she wanted to let it happen, to feel herself falling into that blissful oblivion once more, Alex knew she had specific instructions and managed to pant out, “Maggie? Maggie, I, I’m going to come unless you stop.”

After languishing one last luxuriously slow lick up Alex’s pussy, Maggie drew back. “Good girl. You’re learning to play this game very well.”

Maggie’s voice was a low growl, and Alex could only whimper in response. Maggie’s words had reignited the heated pulsing between her legs that had subsided slightly when Maggie first removed her mouth. Alex couldn’t explain exactly why that was, but she knew that she needed to hear more of Maggie’s words, to earn more of that praise bestowed in a cocky growl. 

Seeing Alex’s continued desperation, Maggie moved her mouth back to Alex’s chest, drawing small circles around Alex’s nipples with her tongue before taking them in her mouth, first the left, then the right, and sucking them until they hardened to stiff peaks. At this point, Alex was still whimpering, but her hips had stopped bucking in desperate search of contact, so Maggie lowered her hand down to Alex’s now soaking wet entrance. 

She easily slipped two fingers inside of Alex, pumping slowly, softly, in and out. Alex moaned in response, thrusting her own hips faster into Maggie’s hands, desperate for some sort of release. 

“No,” Maggie barked, slipping her fingers back out. Alex whined at the sudden emptiness. “You told me to take control, so let me do just that.” A pause. “Color?”

“Green.”

Maggie nodded, slowly letting her fingers tease around Alex’s pussy before slipping the two back in again. “Next time, I’m dropping down to just one finger. This is your warning.”

Alex whimpered and nodded in response. “I’ll be better.”

“I know you will, baby girl. Now let me make you feel good.”

Alex almost cried in joy when Maggie finally began thrusting in and out of her again. She concentrated hard on keeping her hips down, on following Maggie’s orders. When Maggie picked up the pace again, Alex cried out, feeling her walls begin to contract quickly around Maggie’s fingers. “Close!” she yelled out, hoping Maggie could figure it out because if not, she was coming whether or not Maggie was ready.

Before she even heard Alex’s cries, Maggie could tell she needed to stop. She quickly removed her fingers and moved slightly away from Alex to avoid all contact until she calmed down. She had let it go slightly too far this time. Maggie wondered whether she would have to let this third time be the charm, and she figured she better make it worth it.

Once Alex’s body had stopped reaching out for hers, Maggie lowered herself back down on top of Alex, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. “Color?”

“Green,” Alex whined. She was comfortable with everything, but she was starting to get impatient, wondering if she would ever get to come.

“Hey, you’re doing so well. You’re so good, Al. I want to give you a reward for that. Do you want that?”

Alex nodded, her eyes almost black with lust. She felt like her body was crackling with electricity, like she could feel every breath, every slight touch, every hint of movement from the body above hers. 

“Now I need you to flip over onto your stomach. Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah. But my hands?”

“You’re so good to think of that,” Maggie praised Alex, not missing the way Alex’s hips bucked up and her breath caught at the compliment. “I’m going to give you permission to let go, then you’ll hold on again once you’re settled and comfortable. Got it?”

Alex nodded and quickly flipped over, grabbing onto two of the bars again.

“Good. Can you get up on your knees for me? It’ll make you more comfortable.” Alex quickly complied, earning another round of praise from Maggie.

“Now I’m going to spank you. Is that okay? Can you tell me your color?”

“Green. And yes, I want that. Please.”

Maggie smiled, kissing all across Alex’s lower back as she ran her short nails across Alex’s ass. She quickly let one come down against Alex’s skin. She wasn’t quite as gentle as she was last time, but was still lighter than the last slap where she thought she’d gone too far, though Alex had seemed to love it. 

Alex gasped into each stinging sensation, burying her head into the pillows to stifle what had become rather loud moans. She felt wetness begin to drip down her thighs, and she was sure of the moment Maggie noticed it, hearing her breath catch and the small whimper she tried to swallow back. 

“Alex, bring your face out of the pillows. Or at least uncover your mouth. I want to hear every sound you make.” She didn’t mention that she wanted to hear in part to make sure nothing was too much, that everything was still okay, still perfect for Alex.

Alex readjusted, letting her forehead rest against a small stack of pillows, leaving her mouth free.

Maggie had intended to tease Alex a little longer, but when she saw how wet Alex was, how she was dripping for her, Maggie relented. She danced her fingers across Alex’s skin, up her back and down her thighs, loving the goosebumps that erupted under her touch. Finally she made her way back to Alex’s pussy, trailing her fingers through Alex’s arousal and up to her clit, then coming back down where she carefully inserted one, then two fingers. She began slowly, working up to a decent pace. She could clearly hear Alex’s whimpers, her loud gasps and moans.

“Color?” Maggie checked.

“Green.”

Alex loved the angle Maggie had. Any insecurities she felt the other day about how exposed she was like this vanished. She could feel how Maggie was worshipping her body, luxuriating in the privilege of touching her. And that’s all Alex wanted. She let out a string of obscenities when Maggie pressed up against her ass, feeling Maggie’s coarse curls and the heat radiating off of her.

Maggie began thrusting harder, feeling Alex clench and tighten around her fingers. She let another finger curl around to rest on Alex’s clit, not moving, but providing some pressure.

“Alex, I need you to wait a little. Can you do that?”

“I think so,” Alex whispered.

“I know you can. You’ve been so good, baby girl. You can hold on for me. I know you can do it.”

Alex whimpered in response, thrusting her hips back before regaining control. Maggie could tell that Alex wouldn’t last too long, but she suspected she could keep her on the edge for a little while longer. She kept her pace steady at first but gradually increased it, thrusting faster, harder. “Can you make it just a little longer? You’re so close now.”

Alex bit her cheek, holding back a scream. Everything felt so good, she could feel her body tensing as she fought her own reaction, schooling her muscles to relax, attempting to breathe slowly, deeply. Finally she heard Maggie’s voice: “Okay, Al, come for me.”

Alex came hard, screaming into the pillows as what felt like an eternity’s worth of tension was released. Her body shook and shuddered against Maggie’s hand until finally she dropped her hips to the bed. But the bed was…wet?

Maggie could see the moment Alex’s pleasure was replaced with confusion. “Hey, you’re good. It’s just wet from, well, us. You’re good, though. You came. And like you said to me, it’s fucking hot. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded. “Green.” This felt like a lot more than what she had seen when Maggie came. But all thoughts were driven out of her head when she felt Maggie’s tongue licking at the inside of her thighs, drawing her hips up again to lap up all of the wetness from her pussy. Alex shuddered, whether from an aftershock or another smaller orgasm, she didn’t know and didn’t care to find out.

Once she had sufficiently lavished Alex’s body in long licks, Maggie drew back up alongside Alex and pulled her in close, letting her tongue flick inside of Alex’s mouth so Alex could taste herself, how wet she had gotten, how much she had come from Maggie’s touch.

“How are you doing?” Maggie asked.

“Amazing. You’re amazing. Was that okay for you? Are you okay?”

“I’m good. So good. Don’t worry, just relax.”

“But this was all about me. I want you to enjoy yourself too,” Alex protested.

Sighing, Maggie squeezed Alex’s hand, drawing it down. “Al, feel how much I enjoyed myself.” She drew Alex’s fingers through her entrance where wetness had already started spilling out of her.

Alex gasped. She had never, never felt Maggie this wet. “You liked, um, you liked doing that to me?”

“I did. But if you didn’t like it, that’s okay. I like doing so many things with you.”

“No, no,” Alex clarified. “I really, really liked it. But I just, I wanted, I don’t know. It felt sort of selfish. Like we spent so much time on me that maybe you weren’t having fun.”

“I think my demonstration should have clarified that.”

“Yeah…but maybe I can give you a hand to help you feel even better?”

Maggie whimpered, her body thrumming with desire. “It’s whatever you want.”

“Trust me, I want.” Alex rolled Maggie over and let her hand come down to Maggie, slipping two fingers easily inside of her. She began to thrust in and out of the smaller woman, feeling how easy the movements were.

“Could you add one more?” Maggie asked. She normally stuck to a solid two-finger limit.

“You sure?”

“Uh, yeah. It seems I can’t feel too much when I’m this wet. But I trust you to be gentle.”

Alex saw that sentence for what it was—vulnerability with a request to not acknowledge it explicitly. She carefully added a third finger, moaning loudly when she felt how easily even that slipped into her girlfriend. She thrust hard and fast into Maggie, feeling the woman under her beginning to gasp and writhe. She dropped her head between Maggie’s legs, flicking her tongue across Maggie’s clit before taking it into her mouth. With that, Maggie’s body tensed and stiffened before finally tumbling over the edge with a sharp gasp.

Once Maggie’s shuddering had subsided, Alex crawled back up the bed to curl into Maggie, peppering her mouth and neck with small kisses. “You good?” 

Maggie nodded. “Yeah, thanks. You?”

“Still great.”

“Do you want to, I don’t know, process anything?”

“Isn’t that the real lesbian thing to do? Processing and stuff?”

“Where are you learning these lesbian facts?” Maggie laughed.

“Oh, Kara sends me Buzzfeed lists now about queer women memes or something.”

“That’s actually pretty adorable. We should try to go on a double date or something.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked.

“Mhmm, if you’re up for it.”

“I’ll text Kara in the morning.”

“That your way of saying it’s bedtime?”

“Actually…” Alex trailed off.

“Already ready to go again?” Maggie asked, slightly incredulous though also turned on.

“Well, well, yeah maybe. But I was going to see about dessert.”

“Oh! Yes, I’ve got ice cream and Oreos. Want to watch a Buffy with dessert?”

“Yes please!” Alex squealed, pulling on a pair of Maggie’s longer flannel pants and a t-shirt before skipping out to the living room.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rather long, rather smutty chapter to make up for my disappointment at finding out that the Valentine's Day episode isn't until the week after next

The next morning, Maggie woke up to find Alex poking her shoulder. It wasn’t quite what she had hoped for, but still, Alex was Alex, and she was always happy to see her.

“Morning, beautiful,” she yawned.

“Hey.” 

Maggie blinked her eyes, confused about Alex’s terse reply. Flooded with memories from last night, she instantly worried that she had gone too far, pushed Alex past her limits too early. “You okay?” Maggie asked, trying to control the panic in her voice.

“Um, yeah. Sort of.” 

Maggie, finally adjusting to the light, noticed that Alex was bright red and studiously avoiding eye contact.

“Alex, did I fuck up here? Just let me know. I can fix it.”

“Oh!” Alex exclaimed, realizing what Maggie might be thinking. “No, nothing that’s your fault. Just, um, well, do you, uh, doyouhaveatampon?”

“What?” Maggie asked. It was too early to try to decipher anything mumbled.

Clearing her throat, Alex tried again. “Do you have a tampon?”

“Oh, oh yeah sure. Bottom drawer under the sink. Advil’s in the medicine cabinet on the far right bottom shelf if you need it, and there’s a heating pad in one of the drawers. Maybe the middle one?”

Alex kissed Maggie soundly. “You’re amazing. Dating a woman is amazing.” 

She quickly ran back to the bathroom, leaving Maggie to calm the anxiety that had bubbled up when Alex first woke her. After a few minutes of breathing exercises, she stumbled out of her room and toward the kitchen. 

“You want anything in particular for breakfast?” Maggie yelled, hoping she wasn’t being overly familiar by yelling to her girlfriend in the bathroom.

But just a second later, a voice yelled back, “Anything’s fine! Maybe just cereal or something easy.”

Maggie pulled down the bowls and got out the milk. She wasn’t quite sure what type of cereal Alex liked, so she pulled down all the boxes she had and lined them up on the counter. By the time she had poured herself a bowl, Alex was back, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her neck.

They commiserated about having to go back to work the next day over bowls of cereal and another episode of Buffy. Even though there were only a few more days of classes left before study days and exams, they both knew how intense the next few weeks would be with office hours and regrade requests. Well, Maggie only suspected from her experience during midterms, but Alex assured her that it would be even worse now as students confronted the prospect of a less than stellar grade appearing not only on the top of an exam, but also on their transcripts. 

“Can we pretend classes and school don’t exist for a little while longer?” Maggie asked, unwilling to sacrifice her Sunday morning.

“I suppose,” Alex laughed. “Sorry I ruined the last day of our weekend.”

“How did you ruin today?”

“Well, it was supposed to be, you know, an all-sex, no-clothes kind of weekend. But we lost Sunday.”

“Why is Sunday lost?”

Alex arched her eyebrows. “I literally woke you with a request for a tampon. Were you so sleepy that you genuinely don’t remember?”

“First of all, we continued fucking even after dessert last night, so, yeah, I’m a little tired. But also, we can still have sex if you want.”

Alex blanched. “Um, no! No, we cannot.”

“Okay, okay,” Maggie backed off. “It’s just, I don’t mind is all I’m saying.”

“I, just, yeah, no that isn’t something I’ve done. I don’t know that I want to start.”

“Al, that’s okay. You didn’t ruin the weekend though. I’ve had such an amazing time with you, and I suspect that no matter how we spend today, I’m going to love it just as much.” Alex looked up at her with a broad grin. “Plus, if you still want to, you know, come, there are other ways that don’t involve us being naked and my hands or mouth on your pussy.”

Alex blushed scarlet again.

“Oh come on!” Maggie exclaimed. “How do you deal with all the stress and cramps if you’re not fucking yourself?” Again, Alex’s face just flushed in response. “Sorry, I don’t mean to shame you or anything. I just, maybe I’m weak, but that’s all I want for a few days.”

“That’s sort of sexy. For you,” Alex clarified, enjoying the mental image of Maggie desperately needing to come. 

“Well, my shower is open to you. Take with that invitation whatever you will. Plus,” Maggie added with a wink, hoping to distract Alex from all of the attention suddenly being paid to her and her sex life, “even if you don’t want to come, it doesn’t mean I can’t.” 

“Right! Yeah, no, we could totally do that.”

“Alex, hey, I’m not pushing anything. I was just showing you the myriad ways in which you have 100% not ruined anything.”

“Okay,” Alex shrugged her shoulders. “Thanks.”

Maggie just nudged Alex’s shoulder with her own, letting her head drop down to rest by Alex’s. “So, what do you want to do today?”

“Can I shower for real?”

“Yeah! Do you remember the trick with the water this time?”

Alex blushed at the memory, “Yeah…I think I’ve got it this time around, thanks.”

“By all means, if you want to come bounding out naked at me again, I’d love it. But I’d prefer for you not to have to scald yourself first.”

“Shut up,” Alex whined.

“You know I do it out of love.” Maggie stopped abruptly, trying to recover. It was definitely too early. She hadn’t said that specific three-word combination, but this was definitely too close for comfort. “Um, hey, yeah, do you want me to join you? Company always makes showers more fun? Saving the planet and all that good stuff!”

“Why do I suspect that a shower with both of us would take more than twice as long?”

“Because I’m excellent in bed, so you can only assume that I’ll be just as good in the shower?” Maggie asked, some of her self-assured swagger returning after Alex didn’t say anything. But Alex had noticed. She bit back any response, knowing it would freak Maggie out, but she let it spread like warmth through her chest, scaring off any lingering doubts and insecurities that she couldn’t possibly be wanted by someone like Maggie, that she could never be enough. Because Maggie, whether she was ready to say it or not, did more than just like Alex. And that thought was enough for now. 

“I suppose you can follow. But give me a couple minutes to get started?”

Maggie hadn’t expected the invitation, so she was more than okay with a few minutes’ wait time. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Alex when she got up to leave, yelling, “I’ll see you soon! Prepare yourself!”

After giving Alex six whole minutes, Maggie figured she had waited long enough and almost skipped to the bathroom, shedding her clothes as she went. She knocked on the door first, thinking it would be good to pretend that she wasn’t already waiting. “Is it time for me to come in yet?”

Alex poked her head out of the shower and yelled that Maggie could come in, gasping slightly when Maggie strode through the doorway already completely nude. “Someone was a bit presumptuous…”

“Oh, sorry. I can go?” Maggie offered.

“I’m just fucking with you. Get in.”

Maggie hopped in, letting the hot water warm her skin as she breathed in the steam that had built up during those long six minutes when Alex was here all alone. She wrapped her arms around Alex, loving the feeling of being pressed up against her hot, wet body. “Need any help?” she offered.

“I suppose I can’t reach my back too well…” Alex trailed off suggestively.

Maggie reached around to grab the soap, pouring some into her hands and slowly massaging it across Alex’s back, letting her hands slip around her hips and down across her ass, refusing to sacrifice any inch of contact. Alex moaned softly into the touches, appreciating the massage even more today than she would have normally. “This feels amazing, Mags.”

“Do you want more?”

“Uh, sure.” Alex had assumed Maggie would keep rubbing her back until she felt Maggie getting more soap and moving her hands around to her front, cupping her breasts and trailing a line of small bubbles down the center of her torso and across her abs. These touches were less assertive, but the warm hands made everything feel good. Maggie slowly made her way across the rest of Alex’s body, up her arms and down her legs, leaving just a few spots that she suspected might be overly ticklish for Alex to take care of on her own. 

“Do you, uh, want a hand too?” Alex asked.

“Mmm,” Maggie moaned in response. “Only if you want to.”

Alex answered with soapy hands on Maggie’s chest, repeating Maggie’s earlier movements as she heard the smaller woman hum in contentment. When Alex knelt down to get Maggie’s legs, she left a wet kiss in Maggie’s curls, loving the whimpering yelp Maggie made at her touch—a noise made only better by her attempts to play it cool and act like nothing had happened, like she hadn’t been one small touch away from losing it. 

Once they had both finished with their hair, Maggie pulled Alex in for a kiss, unwilling to let this, her last chance to see Alex naked for the day, end so quickly. “Do you, uh, do you want anything? While we’re in here?”

“Hmm, no I think you got everything clean for me, thanks.”

“Right. But I mean, anything else? While we have water and everything right here?”

“Oh, oh. Uh, it’s okay.” In reality, Alex very much did want something. She thought the shower would be a nice way to just revel in being close to Maggie, to see her naked without sexualizing her. But her body wasn’t ready to see Maggie’s naked body without jumping to sex yet.

“Okay. It’s your call. Just know that I’m here and willing. But I can also be gone and happy for you,” Maggie laughed, causing Alex to look at her in confusion.

“I’ve got a tampon in, so we couldn’t anyway.”

“I have a tongue, you know…”

“Not now! Definitely not this week.”

“Okay! Sorry, though, it’s not gross. Especially when, as you say, you’ve already got something blocking it. But it’s whatever you’re comfortable with. But, what I meant earlier was that I do have a detachable showerhead. If, you know, you wanted to come without me necessarily being involved in it.”

“Oh! Um, well, that might be nice. But no, it’s your shower. And your water bill. And that’s selfish.”

Maggie was already clambering out of the shower and wrapping herself in a towel. “Alex, I’m leaving. I won’t force you into anything. Just know that I don’t mind either way. And my rent includes utilities, so that’s not a huge concern.”

When Maggie left, Alex really did intend to enjoy the hot water for just a few more minutes before getting out herself. But then she got curious. She had certainly seen tips recommending the shower, but she had never tried, in large part since her showerhead was firmly attached to the wall. She tried to very quietly and carefully pull it down, turning the temperature down slightly to avoid scalding herself. She played around with the two dials, excited to find that one concentrated the water into a much harder, narrower stream. She settled for something in the middle, then moved to aim it at her clit, assuming it would help the most there. What she didn’t account for is how strong the force of the water would be in the hose or the way it would flip in her hand, spraying at the shower door and making an incredibly loud noise that she was very much convinced Maggie could hear all the way out in the living room. 

Alex had been sure that she would put the nozzle pack, but then it happened to hit her clit on the way. And she felt her whole body shudder in response. Maggie had given her permission…so she decided to continue for a little longer, sitting down on the floor of the tub to avoid any more incidents with the hose or, even worse, falling. 

She ran through the memories of the past few days, reliving all of the touches, the kisses, the earth-shattering orgasms. She felt a shudder run through her body when she thought of Maggie’s insistent commands last night, how gentle she had been even at her most authoritative moments. Trying to drive off thoughts of how ridiculous she assumed she must look, being reduced to masturbating with a showerhead in her girlfriend’s bathroom because she had gone a few hours without sex, Alex closed her eyes, letting the warm water wash over her pussy. She imagined Maggie’s insistent, desperate tongue taking its place, lapping at her wet folds and circling her clit. She thought about Maggie’s low growling order not to come yet, to wait for her, to be good for her. Her whole body shook at the memory, at the words of praise that still rang in her ears. She wished Maggie could be here now, could see how well she was doing even on her own. She slipped back into earlier that day and the days before, of fucking Maggie against desks and walls, of having Maggie slap her ass and thrust deep inside of her. She focused on how wet she remembered Maggie being last night after fucking her, how she had dripped down her own thighs, taken three of her fingers easily, with plenty of space left over to add a fourth if she had wanted to push it. She closed her eyes tightly, narrowing the world to just the pressure and warmth of the water on her clit and the mental image of Maggie shuddering under her tongue, her walls tensing and shuddering against her fingers. And with that, Alex came, a much better orgasm than she had been expecting suddenly surging through her body, causing her to cry out in pleasure.

Maggie hadn’t been listening in. She had really tried to be good, doing the dishes in the kitchen even after she heard the sound of the water shooting into her shower door. She ignored the series of soft, though not that quiet moans that built up, echoing in the shower’s acoustics. But that last yell couldn’t be ignored. Maggie fought the hum of desire surging in her veins, the relentless pulsing between her legs, but in the end, she knew it would win out. She wondered if she should try to come before Alex got back, but she thought that might send the wrong message, like she had only encouraged Alex so that she could have some time alone, or so that she could listen in and invade Alex’s privacy. 

Alex poked her head out of the bathroom door, her cheeks a faint pink. Whether it was from the heat or the orgasm or embarrassment, no one could know for sure, but she looked just amazing, Maggie thought. “I guess, well, I guess you heard that.”

“I did…I’m glad you got to come, really.”

“Yeah?” Alex knew she had been given permission, but she still felt a bit silly.

“Al, you walked in on me with my hand down my pants on our first real date. I promise you that I don’t mind.”

“Right…almost forgot about that.”

“I should have let you,” Maggie laughed.

“But, uh, did you get to do that too? While I was…occupied?”

“No…but that’s fine! Really. What do you want to do today?”

“Well, I do have to finish writing my final exams. And I have a bit of reading I need to get to. I’d like to have dinner together, maybe even let me treat you to some takeout, now that I’ve waited multiple days? But first and foremost, I really want to see you come.”

Maggie let out a small whine. “I don’t want to put you out. You just came. You have your period. I’m sure you just want to relax.”

“I mean, in part, yeah. But not until you come.”

“Well, before you said you wanted to see me come. Do you mean that very literally? Like that first date night back in your apartment? Or do you want to make me come?”

Alex had really just slipped up in her wording. But now that there was another option, she hesitated. Maggie had been so fucking sexy that night.

Noting Alex’s hesitation, Maggie pushed further. “There are ways to make that more of a…two-person activity.”

“Really? Besides just actor and watcher?” Alex suddenly felt slightly perverted for her actions the last time.

As if reading her mind, Maggie continued, “There are ways for both people to be active, but there’s something hot in being watched too, you know? If I’d had an invitation, I would’ve been all about watching you in the shower.”

“Really?” Alex asked, still not quite understanding the extent to which Maggie wanted, needed her.

“Absolutely.” She was pleased to see Alex’s face visibly relax as the corners of her mouth turned upward into a bashful smile. “But yeah, I mean, I have an idea…if you want to try.”

“All of your ideas have pretty much turned out amazingly for me, so I’m up for anything you say.”

“Don’t say now what you’ll regret tomorrow…”

“I’m fairly certain I will never regret sex with you. Ever.”

Maggie was delighted to hear that, though she didn’t show it too much. “Come to the bedroom with me?”

Alex nodded, traipsing behind Maggie and tossing the towel on top of the door as she went. Maggie turned around, pleasantly surprised to find Alex wearing only underwear now. She gulped audibly.

“See something you like?” Alex teased, loving the effect she still had on the other woman.

“Yeah, I think I see a lot of things that I like.” Maggie shook herself, prying her eyes off of Alex’s body long enough to get out some semblance of directions. “I want to fuck myself. I want you here. I’m ceding authority to you now, okay? I want you to tell me what to do to myself. You don’t touch me though. Got it?”

Alex nodded eagerly. “So wait, what do you want me to tell you to do?”

“The point is that I don’t know; you tell me what you want to see me do. I’ll stop you if and only if we have any issues or I don’t want to do something. Okay with you?”

Again, Alex nodded quickly, ready to start the game. “Um, I guess, uh, shit this is hard. What are you in the mood for?”

“Al,” Maggie whined, “I’m dripping wet and very turned on by the fact that you’re going to give me orders. If I tell you what those orders should be, it’s not as fun for me, you know? I want that playful change of place we talked about yesterday. Can you do that?”

“Yes, sorry, I got it. Um, show me how wet you are.”

“Good,” Maggie murmured with an approving smile, letting her fingers drift down between her legs, swiping at her entrance. Just the light touches caused her to gasp. “What do you want me to do now?”

Alex’s brain short-circuited at the possibilities. Her mouth was dry and she was painfully aware of how ready she already was to go back to the shower. “Show me. Let me see your fingers.”

Maggie dragged them though her folds one more time, making sure that Alex would be able to see the arousal glistening all across her fingers. Alex let out a shaky moan, reminding herself that right now was about Maggie, about letting Maggie cede control for a few minutes, letting Alex have that responsibility, that gift. 

“Now I want you to take those fingers and fuck yourself. Don’t hold back.” She dropped her voice to a low purr, “I need to hear you.”

Maggie whimpered. There was something about this side of Alex that drove her wild, that made her body tingle with anticipation. But she also wanted to make sure that Alex was having a good experience, so when she slid two fingers between her folds and into herself, she moaned, “This feels so good, Al. You make me so wet. You’re doing such a good job. Can you keep doing this for me? Are you good?”

Biting her lip, Alex nodded her head. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing shaky and ragged, as though she were the one being fucked. Maggie thought Alex was good at this; Maggie needed Alex to keep being good at this. She raked her eyes over Maggie’s body, feeling heat surge between her legs when she let her gaze linger on Maggie’s fingers, thrusting in and out of her pussy, glistening as they caught the light.

Even though Alex could stay like that until Maggie came, she knew that wasn’t all Maggie wanted. Alex opened her mouth to speak, finding that her voice came out in a ragged rasp, “That’s not enough anymore. I want you to fuck yourself with one of the toys. Can you do that for me?”

Maggie nodded quickly, confirming, “Green,” when Alex looked up at her with a question in her eyes. “Which one should I use?” Maggie asked, trying to defer most judgments to Alex.

“Oh! Um, how about the one you used yesterday? When I fucked you with the strap-on. Do you think you can take it?”

Whimpering, Maggie managed, “Yeah. Yeah, I know I’m wet enough. Can you get it for me?”

Alex strode purposefully across the room, grabbing the toy, the lube, and the small vibrator, though she hid that for now. When Alex got back, Maggie eagerly reached out her hand for the toy, already missing the feeling of her fingers inside her, even if they had felt somewhat inadequate compared to everything Alex had given her these past few weeks. 

“No, no,” Alex shook her head, enjoying this moment of teasing Maggie, subjecting her to a version of the playful torture she’d endured waiting to come last night. “I don’t want you like that anymore,” Alex said, motioning to Maggie’s position. “Off your back. I want to see more of you.” Maggie felt all of her muscles clench at that. She was pleased to see Alex getting into the role, her nipples now hard with arousal too. “I want you on your knees. Still on the bed, but I want you holding yourself up. Can you do that?”

“Mhm,” Maggie nodded, getting up to show Alex that she could take orders too, but moving slightly more slowly than she’d normally allow from a sub just to remind Alex that it was borrowed power. 

“Not there, Mags,” Alex said, dropping her voice to a low taunt. “C’mon now, be a good girl and come up here right in front of me. I want a show.” 

Maggie gasped loudly. She wondered if Alex had noticed the sluggishness of her movements, whether these taunting orders were meant to remind her that Alex wasn’t the same as the other women she’d been with, women who would’ve taken any sign of obeying orders as the ultimate proof of Maggie’s submission. Maggie found she didn’t mind. In fact, she craved it, wanting nothing more than for Alex to push her harder, to show her that she could read Maggie just as well. 

Maggie adjusted carefully, kneeling right in front of Alex, who was now propped against her headboard. “Is this right?”

Licking her lips, Alex nodded, “Yeah. That’s right. Good job, baby girl. Now you can have the dick as a reward.” She handed Maggie the toy and the lube, watching intently as Maggie’s fingers ran up and down the length of it, coating it with lube. She took back the bottle, leaving Maggie with just the toy. “I think you’re ready for it now.”

Maggie moved to insert the toy, wobbling slightly until Alex wrapped a strong arm around her back, steadying her until she got the length of the toy inside her. Since she had needed the extra arm, Maggie didn’t complain about Alex breaking the no touching rule, especially when she quickly moved her arms back to her lap, then up to her chest, running her nails across her upper body—whether for her own relief or to tease Maggie even more, she wasn’t sure.

“Okay, now lean back.” Maggie looked up at her in confusion as she tried to lean back without losing her balance. “Ass on your heels, Mags,” Alex commanded. “Use your left hand to hold yourself upright. I want a view.” Her eyes were black with lust, glinting with a predatory quality.

Maggie held herself up, enjoying the dull ache she already felt creeping up through her muscles as she began fucking herself again, starting out slowly before building the pace incrementally. She relaxed under Alex’s gaze, quickly forgetting the pang of hesitance that had hit her for a moment when she realized how exposed she’d be before giving in to the experience, knowing that Alex cared too much about her to judge her.

“How does that feel?” Alex asked, needing to know that Maggie was having fun too.

“Good,” Maggie panted.

“You’re being so good for me too. I brought you a reward for that. Do you want it?”

Maggie nodded enthusiastically.

“No, no. I want to hear your words.”

Maggie smirked, knowing that line as one she’d used before. She loved hearing the other person fighting to speak coherently, to get words and thoughts to tumble out through the desperate moans. “Yes.”

Alex pulled the small vibrator out from behind her back. “Now how do we ask for it?” she taunted, hoping she wasn’t pushing Maggie too far. 

“Please,” Maggie tried, needing the relief she knew the vibrator would bring.

“That doesn’t sound like a full sentence.” Alex lifted her eyebrows at Maggie, needed to see some confirmation before she kept going. When she saw Maggie nodding and smiling, she continued, “Try again.”

“Please, I want the vibrator.”

“Oh, but that’s just telling me something I already know. I need you to ask for it, to beg for it.”

“Please, can I have the vibrator…now?” Maggie asked, feeling her body growing impatient.

“So close, baby. But I don’t want you to be the focus of that sentence.” Alex felt like she could almost come herself, watching Maggie writhing in front of her, seeing the drops of arousal now dripping off the toy each time it was thrust out of Maggie’s body.

“Please, Al, will you give me the vibrator?”

“Good,” Alex murmured, her voice low. “I’ll let you enjoy it,” she said, shifting the wording Maggie had used slightly, just enough to suit her purposes. She clicked it on, feeling it rumble to life at the lowest setting. She teased it across Maggie’s inner thighs before finally bringing it up to tease her clit. “The lowest setting. That’s what you wanted, Right?” Alex asked teasingly.

Normally Maggie would have objected, but today those small vibrations felt like heaven. “It’ll get the job done,” Maggie taunted back, knowing that Alex hadn’t accounted for how easy it would be to make her come at this point.

“Hmm. I think we should make this a little harder. First, I want you to kneel back up in front of me.” She helped Maggie get up, checking in: “Color?”

“Green,” Maggie panted.

“Now,” Alex continued, her voice a low purr, “You keep fucking yourself. But don’t come yet. Do you think you can wait with me?” Maggie nodded. “Do you think you can wait while I count down from ten for you?” 

Again, Maggie nodded enthusiastically, desperate for Alex to start counting already. She could feel how close she already was, the soft vibrations coupled with the insistent thrusting she had kept up pushing her closer and closer to the edge. 

“Good. Here are the rules. Each time I count down a number, you either fuck yourself faster or fuck yourself harder. Got it?”

Maggie whimpered and nodded, adding in a voice closer to her usual sarcasm, “I guess I should probably slow down a little if I’m going to make it through the whole countdown.”

“Probably,” Alex taunted, giving Maggie a moment to adjust and get ready. 

“Ten.” Maggie picked up her pace very slightly.

“Nine.” Maggie went just a little faster.

“Eight.” Figuring speed was still easier to maintain, Maggie moved the toy quicker again.

“Seven.” Maggie let the toy pull further out than she had been, pushing it back in with slightly more force.

“Six.” Maggie was back at the pace she had been at earlier, only now it was harder to fight back her orgasm. She felt her muscles tensing desperately, her whole body shaking with need.

“Five.” This time Alex fumbled slightly, clicking the vibrator up to a higher setting. She nearly cried out when Maggie’s eyes rolled back and she let out a strangled cry. 

“Four.” Maggie began fucking herself slightly faster again. “You can lean against me if you need,” Alex offered, watching Maggie shake and sway unsteadily as she balanced on her knees. Maggie let her free hand fall against Alex’s shoulder, bringing her tits into Alex’s face as she dropped her lips to Alex’s neck, nipping and sucking on any open skin she found.

“Three.” Alex fought to keep her voice steady, trying to ignore the sight in front of her. But when Maggie picked up her pace and Alex circled the vibrator around her clit, Maggie let out a loud whine—far louder than Alex had heard from the woman before—and dug her nails deep into Alex’s shoulder, fighting back the spasms that were threatening all of her self control. 

“Two. You’re so close for me.” Maggie could do it. She had to do it. She needed to do it for Alex. Her whole body was on fire. She moved her hand to the headboard, worried about what kind of damage she might have done to Alex’s shoulder, and let her head drop against the cool wall, pressing her forehead and cheek against it, desperately trying to fan the flames that blazed beneath her skin.

After far too long, Alex finally let out a drawn out, “One.” Maggie picked up the pace and fucked herself harder, thrusting harder against the vibrator in Alex’s hands, desperate to soak up every last moment of this. She could feel her whole body tensing in anticipation. And as soon as she saw Alex’s mouth open, heard the first sounds escaping, she let herself tumble over the edge, her whole field of vision flashing white as she threw herself against Alex’s chest, shuddering as what felt like a string of consecutive orgasms ripped through her body. It wasn’t until she was trembling through the aftershocks that Alex’s last word had registered: “Wait.”

“Uh, sorry. I got confused with the counting. I though, you know, one was the last number.”

Alex shook her head, a small laugh escaping. “You’re good. You’re so fucking good. I didn’t make it clear.”

“Okay,” Maggie ducked her head into Alex’s neck, still not quite energetic enough to pull herself back up to sitting.

Alex carefully lowered the two of them down to the bed, letting Maggie wrap her arms and legs around her as she fought to regain control of her breathing and heart rate.

Finally, after what felt like a very long time, Maggie fluttered her eyes open again. Seeing this, Alex asked, “You good?”

“I’m perfect. You?”

“Also good. But if you don’t mind, I’m just gonna run to the bathroom.”

“Off to fuck yourself?” Maggie teased.

“Don’t think I’m not tempted to after that show. But no, I will display some self control.”

“It’s whatever you want, Al. But don’t hold back on my account. I enjoy the acoustics…”

“Shut up,” Alex blushed, remembering how much she had needed some kind of release this morning—a feeling that paled in comparison to the desire now coursing through her body. 

When Alex sauntered back from the bathroom, Maggie pulled her head up from the pillows. “You proud of yourself?” Alex asked, her lips pursed but her voice light and teasing.

“What do you mean?”

Alex drew closer to the bed, letting Maggie see the row of small bruises blossoming on the pale skin of Alex’s neck, before turning to show off the four crescent-shaped indentations in her shoulder.

“Shit! I’m so sorry.” Maggie felt terrible, worried that she had hurt Alex, had gone too far, pushed too hard, let herself go without thinking about Alex’s safety.

“Mags, I don’t care. I like it. It’s like you’re…” Alex trailed off, blushing deeply, “marking me. I’m yours.”

Maggie tried to fight back the desperate groan that growled at the back of her throat, but she only succeeded partially, a small noise still escaping as her hips bucked at the thought. “Still, I should have checked.”

“Yes, I suppose so. But they’re all low enough that they’ll be covered by clothing. So I promise I don’t mind. You know how much I liked it when we were rougher. And you seemed to like it too, if I recall?”

“Your nails did feel nice…”

“Exactly.”


	32. Chapter 32

A short nap and a big lunch later, Alex and Maggie were finally forced to confront the reality of the looming workday. 

“I guess, I guess we should probably prep for tomorrow?” Alex asked, not really wanting their weekend to come to a close.

“I suppose. You probably left all of your stuff at your place?”

“Yeah…” Alex trailed off, trying not to let her disappointment show. “I suppose your stuff is all here?”

“I mean, it’s just my laptop and a textbook, but yes, there they are,” Maggie said, pointing to the desk.

“Oh…well, if you wanted, you know, you could work at my place. You don’t have to!” she rushed to add.

“Well…I do have to take you back to your apartment. I wouldn’t leave you to grab a cab.”

“So chivalrous. My hero.” Maggie reached out to tickle Alex lightly, earning a sharp elbow in response.

“Ow!” she yelped. “What was that for?”

“I don’t do tickling,” Alex replied wholly unapologetic. “But I am sorry if I hurt you.”

Maggie shrugged it off, laughing at the absurdity of Alex’s response. “You’re good. It takes a lot more than your pointy elbows to take me out. Though I’ll be sure never to tickle you again. Unless maybe I’m looking to start something rough.” She winked at Alex, who threw a pillow in her direction.

“Anyways, if you still don’t mind driving me, you could do work at my place. We could maybe do dinner?” Alex wondered whether she was pushing for too much too fast. They hadn’t left each other’s side for days now. Maybe Maggie needed some alone time.

“That sounds great,” Maggie replied with a smile, kissing Alex’s cheek as if she could hear the internal war raging in Alex’s thoughts. “Should I go ahead and pack clothes for tomorrow? Wouldn’t want to borrow yours again. My students might start to wonder.”

“Are you U-Hauling on me, Sawyer?”

“It has its advantages.” Maggie waggled her eyebrows suggestively, pulling herself onto Alex’s lap and kissing her soundly. 

Alex hummed happily into the kiss. “You do make a good case. But who are we kidding? Pack your clothes.”

Maggie jumped off the bed at that and began gathering an outfit she figured would work for the next day. While she was up, she packed her laptop and books, plus a head of broccoli to ensure they had something green on their plates that night. Alex pursed her lips when she saw the broccoli peaking out of Maggie’s bag. “Danvers, all I’m doing is providing you with a well-balanced diet. God knows we’ll end up ordering pizza tonight.”

“And?” Alex whined. “I have my period…so I should really get to choose.”

“Yeah, and you’re dating a woman who also gets a period. So unless you want to give me a week of easy excuses every month, then I suggest you get to thanking me for my considerate grocery shopping.”

Alex grumbled, “Thanks, Maggie.”

That night, Alex did manage to convince Maggie to order pizza with the addendum that they would have broccoli as a side dish. It was a bit of an odd meal, but at least they were both happy. By the time dessert rolled around, Maggie had finished her work and was starting to get bored. But Alex still had a book up, her pen tucked behind her ear and her reading glasses on. Maggie saw the situation for what it was: the perfect opportunity to get back at Alex for the phone call interruption. 

She spent a few minutes with her eyes closed, giving Alex one last opportunity to finish her work while also reliving some of her favorite moments from the weekend. By the time she was done, she needed something regardless of whether Alex was going to relent and lend a helping hand or not. 

Maggie leaned over and peppered kisses across Alex’s cheek. 

“I’ll be done soon, Mags,” came Alex’s distracted reply. 

Maggie huffed back to her side of the couch, figuring that if Alex wouldn’t pay attention to her, she had ways of making her wish she had. She let a hand flutter down her abs and under the waistband of her own pair of baggy boxer shorts. She ran her fingers through the course hair before dipping them lower, surprised to find how wet she already was. Sure, it wasn’t much compared to what Alex did to her, but it was a lot for just a few minutes of closing her eyes with no real touching. She carefully slid one finger inside herself, beginning with a slow pace before starting to work herself up. She rested her palm against her clit, whimpering softly at the much-needed contact. Her eyes were squeezed shut now, running through a reel of mental images that would probably make Alex blush: Alex whimpering underneath her touch. Alex coming all over her hands, dripping down her thighs. Alex driving her hips into Maggie while she fucked her on that desk. Maggie slipped a second finger in and fucked herself harder, feeling how close she was now.

When Maggie made the first noise, Alex had ignored it, assuming Maggie was just annoyed about the rebuffed advances. Alex just had a few more pages before she could turn her attention back to more…attractive tasks. But the next sound was unmistakably a moan. She glanced over only to find Maggie’s head thrown back, her eyes shut but her mouth open. She dropped her gaze, noticing the insistent movement between Maggie’s legs. At this point, Maggie didn’t even seem to be trying to stay quiet. 

“Can I help you?” Alex asked, her voice low and taunting.

Maggie, unsurprised by the return of Alex’s attentions, merely pulled her head forward, a lazy, lopsided grin overtaking her expression. “I think I’m good here, but by all means, feel free to help a friend out.”

Alex stammered for a moment before regaining her composure and chastising, “I told you, I will pay attention to you when I’m finished with my reading. Just give me fifteen more minutes.”

Maggie bit back a laugh. “Oh, feel free, I’m just out here, keeping you company.”

Alex rolled her eyes, but returned to her reading, determined to finish the chapter. But after just a few seconds of peace and quiet, the moaning returned. And now it seemed even louder. Alex tried to tune it out; maybe it wasn’t louder, and she was just more attuned to it now. But no, Maggie was now muttering words. Alex gave in to her curiosity, straining to make out the words. She colored and gasped when she did. 

Maggie heard Alex’s gasp, glad to see that her colorful language hadn’t been lost on the woman. She decided to give one more moaned sentence to really sell it—something she knew Alex wouldn’t be able to drown out. “Fuck, Alex, god you’re so good. You make me so wet.”

Alex dropped her pen as heat rushed through her body. “Maggie! I am never going to finish this reading! You’re so damn distracting.”

“Oh, what? This?” Maggie asked, feigning innocence. “How is this distracting?”

“Oh, I don’t know! How the hell am I supposed to focus on what I have to do when you are over there being all sexy and loud?”

“I’m sure you can find it in you to focus, Danvers,” Maggie taunted. “Don’t pay attention to me. Go on, I’m sure that book is just fascinating.”

Alex turned back to her book, determined to prove to Maggie that her whole body wasn’t on fire, that every thought wasn’t consumed with memories of how Maggie felt, how she tasted, how she screamed into her neck when she came. But then Maggie tossed her boxer shorts to the ground, leaving Alex with a perfect view of her pussy, of her fingers moving frantically, coated with her arousal. And Alex tried, she tried so hard to go back to her book. But Maggie was moaning and panting and whimpering. And Alex knew that whimper. The whimper of frustration when your own hands just weren’t enough. 

In a flash, Alex’s book was on the floor, her hands pulling Maggie’s own hands back, her fingers moving quickly to fill Maggie, to give her the relief she needed. She dropped her head down, flicking her tongue out and across Maggie’s hard clit as her fingers curled upward, reaching for the rough patch on Maggie’s front wall, already swollen with need. Looking down at Alex, Maggie’s smirk quickly vanished, her jaw dropping at the sight of Alex, her glasses on and hair pinned back and tongue desperately lapping at Maggie’s pussy. The sight was too much, and Maggie quickly felt herself contracting rapidly around Alex’s fingers as she tumbled over the edge, crying out Alex’s name as she came. 

As soon as Maggie had stopped shaking, Alex drew back, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand before moving to find where her book had gone. “I hope you’re satisfied now,” she said coolly, directing her gaze at Maggie.

“Great now. Thanks!” Maggie cheerfully responded.

“You know, I would have done all that for you willingly if you would have just given me fifteen minutes? Why did you insist on doing it yourself? On doing it while I was trying to finish my reading?” Alex wasn’t mad, though she was slightly annoyed, more at the fact that she would definitely need to re-read the last few pages if she had any hope of recalling where she’d left off.

Maggie tried (and failed) to look innocent before curling her mouth up into a shit-eating grin. “Told ya I’d make you pay for that phone call.”

\---

On Monday morning, Alex bade Maggie farewell with a searing kiss. “I know this is your first end of a semester stretch as a professor, so consider yourself warned. I will see you again on Thursday at the earliest.”

Maggie looked hurt until she scrolled through her own email, which she hadn’t checked since Saturday, and saw the deluge of messages from administrators and students all asking to schedule meetings and appointments this week. “I guess that’s about right. At least I’ll be too busy to miss you too much?”

“I’m sure you’ll find time to miss me, Sawyer.”

“Yeah…but should we try to do something on Thursday? Want to do that double-date with your sister?”

“Maybe we push that to Friday night? Just collapse and hang out alone on Thursday…maybe you sleep here, if that’s something you want, then Friday we can try to have a normal-length day and go out to dinner together? All four of us?”

“Sounds good. To all of it, even sleeping here. Try to buy food without my help, mkay?”

Alex playfully pushed Maggie out the door, though the effect was lessened when she pulled her back for another kiss before releasing her to the clutches of the workday. 

It wasn’t until the walk from her last class to her first meeting that Alex even had time to text Kara, shooting off a quick message. “Double date on Friday? Or is it game night?”

“Game night rescheduled this week. James has a date. And Winn said something about his head exploding from work craziness. Hope I was allowed to tell you! But totally down for dinner date!” A few minutes later, Kara texted again: “Checked with Lena. All good! 7pm work?”

“Yeah. I’ll let Maggie know,” Alex replied.

Kara sent back a string of happy emojis that Alex couldn’t take the time to decipher right now. Then she sent back another message, this one thankfully in word-form. “Do you have anytime in your schedule for me? Have a question…”

Alex wondered why the question couldn’t be asked over text, but she just shook her head, figuring it was Kara being weird. “Wednesday lunch time?”

“See you then! Dean Grant calling now, bye!”

“Enjoy…”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance to anyone who also read the one-shot, "I Can...Instruct You." I wasn't sure if it would fit well into this longer story, but I think it does, so this is pretty much just that chapter, though you'll see how it works into the story with the coming chapters too.
> 
> Also, considering doing a series of one-shots not necessarily in this AU (probably quite a few in the actual Supergirl universe) to work with a few other ships (even though Sanvers has my heart), so if that's something you'd like or you have any requests, let me know! Right now I've just got three from my gf who doesn't actually need me to post them anywhere to enjoy them :)

By the time Alex was settling into her sad desk lunch of a jar of peanut butter and a bag of pretzels on Wednesday, she had completely forgotten about Kara’s request to meet. She had a large stack of lab reports in front of her and a mouthful of peanut butter when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up in time to see Kara awkwardly poking her head around the doorway. “Is now a bad time?” she asked.

“No! Shit, I’m sorry. Work has just been insane. Come in!”

“I can really come back. Maybe when you’re less stressed?” Kara offered.

“You’re my sister. Of course I’ll make time for you. Besides, I think this student’s lab report is in Comic Sans, so I should really take a break to relax before I write something I’ll regret on his paper.”

Kara laughed, though it quickly turned into a nervous titter as she looked around the room, down at the floor, skimming the titles of the books—anywhere but up at Alex.

“Kara? I know you. What’s wrong? Did you break something? Did you eat something of mine?”

“No! Besides, do you even have food that isn’t that pathetic jar of peanut butter you’re currently calling lunch?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yeah…if I wanted good food, I’d go raid Maggie’s lunch.”

“Wait!” Alex suddenly perked up. “Does she having something good?”

“She’s your girlfriend,” Kara laughed. “You go ask her if you want her to share.”

“Maybe later. She’s pretty booked all day. But what did you want? Here, sit down. Stop being so weird.”

Kara shuffled across the room and sunk down low in the chair. “I need a small favor.”

“What’s up?”

“Er, do you, uh, do you still have any of the kryptonite samples in your lab?”

“Yes. I promise they’re secure. It’s just a few small ones, but I promise only Hank knows about them. Why? Did someone come at you with kryptonite recently?”

“No! I, um,” Kara blushed scarlet. “I need to borrow some.”

“Kara…why? That seems like a horrible idea. Why would you voluntarily weaken yourself? You could get killed if you weren’t careful.”

“It’s not for…it’s just, I just needed to be a little less strong, not totally powerless. And just for a few hours at a time.”

“Why? Are you trying to go to spin class again? Kara, even with lowered powers, you can’t risk breaking another bike. Do you remember how much Soul Cycle charged us for the replacement? No way. I don’t care how ‘fun’ it seems.”

“’s not for that,” Kara muttered.

“Then what the hell is it for? Kara, I’m not just going to hand over a lethal substance designed for the sole purpose of killing Kyrptonians to my Kryptonian little sister unless she has a damn good reason.”

“It’s for Lena,” Kara said quickly.

“Why does Lena want it? Is it because of that Red K incident? That was a while ago, and we don’t think there’s any more out there. Winn scanned all of National City looking for its signature, and it only ever popped up on that one rooftop.”

“No…Lena didn’t ask. I want it for, um, spending time with Lena. Like…alone time with Lena.”

“Oh!” Comprehension dawned on Alex in one big rush, leaving her as red and awkward as her sister. “Um, Kara, I really, I still don’t know that I feel comfortable with you having such a dangerous substance on you. What if it harmed you too much? What if there was an emergency while you had it on you? What if long-term exposure does more than we know about?”

“Alex, please,” Kara pleaded. She listened carefully through the closed door and, once she was sure no one was around, she leaned in and whispered, “I know we don’t talk much about sex. But…imagine if, even after you got together with Maggie, you could never, you know, do that. Or you could do some things, but you could never risk being even slightly out of control, even just for a second. Lena has been great, and she hasn’t pressured me or anything, but I need this, Alex. I really like her, and I want to, you know, be with her in every way.”

Alex closed her eyes, trying to remember that Kara was an adult who could make her own choices, that she wasn’t some alien teenager that needed her protection every step of the way now. “Okay, I really would need to run some tests first. If it looks like there will be any risk to you…I reserve the right to say no.”

“I get that! And you’re the best! But also, so that you know I’m not just jumping in blindly, I did find out from Clark that there aren’t any known long-term effects of exposure to low doses. It would just be a matter of finding an amount that wouldn’t hurt me or make me sick, just enough to turn down the powers and all.”

Alex laughed out loud at that. “How was that conversation, might I ask?”

“Awkward,” Kara conceded with a low laugh. “He definitely knew exactly why I was asking, though I guess that means he had to deal with something similar.”

“And he’s okay?”

“Yeah. It’s a lot safer than trying to solar flare every time I want some.”

“Ew! I can deal with you having sex, but maybe let’s not talk about you ‘wanting some’ ever again.”

“Deal. So…how long til I can get the kryptonite?”

“Lord, is it really that big of a deal? It is the end of the semester.”

“Alex,” Kara whined, stretching Alex’s name out across multiple syllables. “You’re not being fair. Imagine if you and Maggie still hadn’t…”

“Oh my god, you still haven’t done anything?” Alex let her curiosity get in the way of her squeamishness about her sister’s sex life. It was actually sort of nice to be able to talk to each other again, since Alex really hadn’t gotten to do it through high school or college. She wasn’t keen on the specifics, but gushing about her girlfriend was fast becoming a favorite activity.

“I mean…we’ve done other things. But not, you know, really getting to both be together like that.” Kara reflected back on the long nights spent together, the lingering touches and long make out sessions that were fun but never enough. She had never really felt this type of desire for anyone else. Sure, she’d definitely been enamored with James and his muscles, but it always felt more like a crush than a full-blown relationship, like he was the hunky Disney prince that Supergirl would whisk to safety. But now? With Lena? Everything felt different.

“Okay, okay. I have to stay late today, so do you want to come by my lab later, around 7? I think they finally finished all of the repairs. We can experiment with some of the pieces to see what’s enough.”

“Yes! You’re the best! I love you!” Kara gave Alex a big hug, leaving her alone with her work and her pretzels, figuring it best to not be there to remind Alex about her little sister’s activities.

Kara nearly skipped out of the building, though, eagerly texting Lena as she made her way across campus. “Meeting Alex tonight re the green stuff. Fingers crossed! I really, really want to be with you.”

She was pleased with the near instantaneous response: “I will buy your sister anything she wants if you end up under me tonight.”

“I think I won’t be so specific with her, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate the bribery.”

Kara was more distracted than usual the rest of the afternoon, nearly flying into a telephone pole on her way back from stopping an armed robbery. Even Cat seemed to notice, arching her eyebrows every time she ran into Kara looking dreamily off into the distance. But how could Kara help it? All she could think about was Lena. Lena’s creamy skin. The way everything she said sounded like a seductive purr. The way she bit her lip right before she answered Kara’s questions.

By 6, Kara was too distracted to put in any more hours at the office, so she took to flying large laps around National City, helping out with minor altercations and traffic jams that she’d normally leave alone. It felt like a repeat of her goodwill tour after the Red K incident or her first few weeks after coming out as Supergirl. Only now, no one needed to see her prove herself. It was Kara who needed these moments, these reminders of something tying her to the day, keeping her focused until she could fly to her girlfriend’s apartment and take her in her arms.

Finally, after an awkward half hour with Alex, in which Alex rather unscientifically placed larger and larger pieces of kryptonite in front of Kara and had her try to fly and break things, Kara finally had a good-sized piece. Alex secured it in a lead box and made Kara promise to be safe and not to let it fall into the wrong hands. Kara nodded sincerely, giving Alex her word, before taking off into the night sky and flying directly to Lena’s penthouse apartment.

She landed on the balcony with a soft whoosh and knocked on the door, still unclear on the rules for just letting herself in when she arrived. She felt a bit absurd, rocking her weight from foot to foot, clutching a small lead box like it contained all the treasures of the galaxies, still clad in her bright supersuit, just waiting for Lena to come let her in.

“Kara!” Lena cried out, jogging to the door, “I’ve told you to make yourself at home. That means using the key I gave you to let yourself in.” 

Kara stepped in, still feeling a bit awkward as she unhooked the cape and kicked off her boots. But then Lena wrapped her in a tight embrace, hugging Kara as hard as she could so that the woman would feel even the smallest amount of pressure against her steely frame. Kara melted into the touch, peppering excited kisses across Lena’s cheeks and nose until Lena noticed the big grin fighting for dominance on Kara’s face and pulled back. “I take it by your mood that Alex came through?”

Kara nodded excitedly, holding up the box for Lena to see.

“Can I open it?” Lena was as excited as Kara was, but she was nervous too. She knew that Lex had manufactured kryptonite specifically to kill aliens like Kara, and, despite Kara’s repeated assurances that this would be fine, she still worried about her girlfriend. 

Seeing the worry creeping into Lena’s smile, Kara pulled her to the couch. “Lena, hey? Look at me?” Lena raised her eyes to meet Kara’s bright blue gaze. “I promise that Alex would never have handed over something that could hurt me. Besides, this sized piece is just enough to weaken me, not sicken me or even totally turn off my powers.”

“So…sex in the air is a possibility then?” Lena asked with a smirk.

“We should probably, you know, stick to the bed first. This is, well, um, this is, you know, it’s new for me,” Kara stuttered out, flushing a deep red.

Lena wrapped Kara in her arms, needing the woman to feel how much she cared for her, to know that she would be there to guide her through the first time, no matter what. “We can still take things slow. We don’t have to do anything tonight. I’ve already ordered enough Korean food to feed half of National City, and we’ve got plenty of TV shows to catch up on—you still need to see the rest of The L Word. You can just spend the night with me, sleeping, cuddling, kissing.”

Kara’s eyes shone with happiness. She knew how much Lena wanted this, wanted her. She could hear her heart race every time they kissed. She could hear the stifled gasps and bitten back moans that Lena tried to hide from her whenever her hands grazed Lena’s skin. And Kara felt the same way. Even though she was able to keep herself under control when she was with Lena—if only because she couldn’t risk letting herself lose control, even for a moment, without fearing that she would hurt the woman she had come to care so deeply for—she couldn’t fight the dreams, the nights spent alone in her bed or her shower as she memorized the feeling of her own body, her own fingers desperately pulling one orgasm after another out of her, everything a poor substitute for the woman whose hands she really wanted on her body.

“Lena, I need this too. I mean, I maybe need some food first. But then, yeah, I do too, okay?”

Lena nodded eagerly, fighting back a grin as she tried to stay as composed as she was at work. It was useless, of course. Kara had always been the one person who could fluster her, leaving the normally unshakeable woman uncertain and blushing. Kara was the one who could break down her carefully constructed walls, who could understand the pain of being a Luthor or being hurt by a Luthor but still grant the forgiveness her family didn’t deserve. 

Kara wolfed down her food even faster than usual that night, trying not to give away her excitement about the prospects ahead of her. Lena could tell, of course, but she wouldn’t say anything; she didn’t want to embarrass Kara, not that there was anything embarrassing about needing tonight—she needed it too. 

When they finished eating, Kara looked nervously up at Lena, bouncing in her seat with excitement. “Should we, uh, you know, head to your room?”

“It’s whatever you want to do, dear.”

Kara wavered for second, fighting back the wave of nerves that had crept in, before nodding. She ran off, fumbling to a stop a second later with the box clutched in her hands. “Ready!”

Lena led Kara back to her bedroom, kissing her soundly as they fell through the doorway and into the large bed that occupied a sizeable portion of the room. She rolled on top of Kara, letting her tongue flick inside of Kara’s mouth as her hands wandered. “Do you, uh, want to take the suit off?”

“Oh!” Kara blushed scarlet. “Yeah, let me just…” In an instant, Kara was in just a bra and underwear, the suit discarded somewhere across the room. 

“Wow,” Lean breathed out.

Blushing, Kara demurred, “It isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.”

“And yet every time, that’s still my reaction. Because look at you, Kara. You’re beautiful.”

Deflecting the attention, Kara pulled gently at Lena’s button up. “You’re still dressed from work too, you know.”

“I suppose I am. Do you wanna help with that? Or should I?”

“No! Let me.” Kara’s shyness dissipated with each article of clothing removed from Lena’s body, need soon overtaking nerves in the battle for dominance. Kara leaned back and unhooked the other woman’s bra while she was there, leaving her in just a very small piece of lace. Kara could feel her body humming with desire. Sure, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before, hadn’t felt, but she was continually amazed that this stunning woman wanted her, had begun falling for her even when she was only Kara Danvers, the stumbling employee of a one Cat Grant. 

“Well, then, this is only fair,” Lena teased, popping off Kara’s bra with a practiced flick of her wrist. The sight of Kara’s perfectly toned body, her perky breasts, her defined abs, proved too much for Lena to resist. She dove quickly down, lavishing wet kisses and long licks across Kara’s torso, letting her tongue flit lower and lower, knowing that tonight she wouldn’t be receiving the panting, “Stop!” that normally came when Kara found herself too turned on to feel in control. Tonight she would finally give Kara the chance to come undone, to relax and let herself enjoy a well-deserved break from carrying the responsibility of the world on her shoulders. 

“Lena!” Kara gasped. “Wait.”

Lena quickly rolled off of Kara. “Just say the word. I told you, I’m happy not to go any further than we already have.” And she was. She might need to slip into the bathroom for a moment of relief, Kara’s super-hearing be damned, but she certainly wouldn’t pressure the beautiful woman lying next to her. 

“No, no. Sorry, it’s just, we need to open the box. Right now I’m still in full superhero mode.” Kara levitated off the bed for a moment to demonstrate what she meant. 

“Do you want to do it?” Lena asked, feeling her concern bubbling back up again.

“I can, sure.” Kara strode over to the nightstand and opened the box, pulling out the glowing rock and placing it down on the wood. She fought back a wave of nausea and dizziness, feeling slightly better as soon as the rock was out of her hands, though she could tell that she wasn’t at 100%.

“Are you okay? You don’t look great.”

“Aww, way to make a girl feel special.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Kara nuzzled back into Lena’s neck. “I promise, now that I’m a few feet away, I feel much better. Not leap tall buildings in a single bound fine, but still, I’m okay. And now, next to you, I feel better than okay.”

“Please, just, just let me know if we need to stop. Until then, I’m taking your word for it that you feel fine.” And with that, Lena pinned Kara underneath her, nipping lightly at Kara’s lower lip as her fingers scratched lightly up her arms. 

In a moment of boldness, Kara moaned loudly into Lena’s kiss and flipped her over, letting her thigh rest between Lena’s legs, eliciting a series of small whimpers. “So you’re still strong, then.”

“Yeah. You know, I work out.” The corners of Kara’s mouth twitched up into a cocky smile. “I could probably still pick you up. Maybe throw you against the wall without breaking you or the wall.”

“That’d be ideal,” Lena replied, her typical self-assured tone returning to her voice. 

Baited by Lena’s implicit challenge, Kara jumped off of the bed, pulling Lena up around her waist and pushing her against the wall. For once, she felt her muscles straining slightly, though not nearly enough to concern her. She was pleased to find the wall intact and even more to see Lena’s eyes wide and dark with lust as she bit her bottom lip seductively.

Kara lowered her head, taking Lena’s lips in hers and gasping as she felt Lena’s hands clawing at her back. She wondered if there was enough kryptonite here for Lena to actually leave marks… The thought thrilled her. 

Within minutes, Lena was panting with need. “Kara, please, take us back to the bed.” Kara quickly obliged, gently lowering Lena down and joining her on the pillows.

“Can I take these off?” Lena asked, gesturing towards Kara’s underwear.

“Uh, yeah. Just, don’t laugh okay?”

“Kara, why would I laugh? You are beautiful and sexy and perfect. And I’m finally going to get to make you feel good. Maybe I’ll laugh if you say something funny, but I would never laugh at you.”

“It’s just…I…you make me really, well, you turn me on. A lot. And it’s probably…sticky down there.”

Shaking her head at whatever jackass boy, she assumed, had put those sorts of ideas in Kara’s head, she gently grabbed the blonde woman’s hand and guided her fingers beneath her waistband, letting her feel how utterly soaked she already was. “See? There’s nothing shameful about it. It’s good. So good. Are you okay with me being this wet?”

Kara felt her mouth go dry, and she swallowed thickly. When words failed her, she just nodded, her eyes wide.

“So then why would I laugh at you for being wet?”

Kara shrugged. “I don’t know. This is all new.”

“And that’s exactly why we’re going to take this nice and slow, unless you say otherwise. Okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Lena.”

“Don’t thank me for basic consideration. I expect to be held to a slightly higher standard than that. You can thank me when you’re screaming into a pillow, mkay?”

Kara flushed but nodded, feeling her heart race as another surge of wetness soaked its way through her cotton panties.

“I’m going to take these off now. Still okay with you?”

“Yeah,” Kara whispered. “You can, uh, take yours off too, if you don’t want them getting wetter. Or I can help.”

“Do you want to take mine off first?” Lena asked, wondering what Kara would prefer.

“Oh, um, yeah, sure.” Kara gather her confidence, trying to find some of her Supergirl heroism beneath her Kara Danvers anxiety. She carefully pulled the lace off of Lena’s body, whimpering when she saw how wet Lena still was, the light pink flesh folded beneath dark brown curls. 

Lena swept Kara into her arms, letting one hand move down her body to pull off the final layer between them. She bit her lip but couldn’t quite contain the growl that escaped her throat at the sight. Kara hadn’t been lying; she really was soaked. And Lena wanted nothing more than to taste the woman, to run her tongue up through those fold and hear Supergirl screaming her name.

“Can I?” Lena asked, slowly kissing her way down Kara’s body.

“Only if you want to.”

“Trust me: I want to.”

Kara whimpered as Lena’s tongue made its first slow lap upwards, teasing her clit and dipping softly into her wet entrance. As Lena kept going, Kara got nervous. She felt good. Too good. What if the kryptonite wasn’t working? She pulled Lena’s hair lightly, making the woman between her legs moan loudly. “No, no, Lena! I’m scared!”

Lena quickly pulled back, blushing slightly at the misunderstanding. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel amazing.”

“And…?”

“I shouldn’t feel this amazing next to kryptonite. I should feel mildly okay. Fine-ish, you know?”

“Well, why don’t you try using your powers?”

“I can’t just heat vision your lamp!”

“Kara…why don’t you try flying? Just levitate a little. Like you did earlier.”

“Oh.” Kara blushed. She hadn’t thought of that power. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and pushed lightly off the bed, only to come flopping right back down. Still concerned, she breathed into her hands, feeling nothing more than hot puffs of air—no freezing capabilities to be found. 

“So?”

“I guess…I guess the kryptonite is working.”

Lena smirked broadly. “Then I guess we know why you feel so amazing, don’t we?”

Kara chewed at the inside of her cheek. “Congrats. You’re apparently an antidote to kryptonite.”

“My brother would be so proud,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now let me help you get right back to amazing, okay?”

Kara nodded enthusiastically, throwing her head back down on the pillows as Lena resumed her ministrations. A few minutes later, Lena’s fingers began playing around her entrance, trailing featherlight touches across the sensitive skin. “Is it okay if I add a finger?”

“Mhmm. Do two, okay?”

Lena smiled as she gently slipped in one, then two fingers, letting Kara get used to the feeling before thrusting them slowly in and out, moaning as she felt how wet and warm Kara was, her muscles tensing and contracting around her fingers.

Kara moaned loudly, feeling her hips buck involuntarily up to meet Lena’s hand. Lena increased her speed in response, earning another chorus of low whimpers. Everything felt heightened, like what she had lost in x-ray vision and super-hearing had been made up for in nerve endings. Suddenly, she felt Lena’s lips close in around her clit, her tongue flicking quickly and insistently across it. Her thighs clamped tightly around Lena, and Kara prayed nothing would break. She felt all of her muscles tense and contract until, with a gasp and a whimper, she collapsed back onto the bed, her legs falling back down.

Lena licked slowly until she was sure that Kara was done. Carefully removing her fingers, she brought them up to her mouth and slowly sucked them clean, relishing in the expression of wanton need that flitted across Kara’s face at the sight. She crawled back up to Kara, curling around the spent woman and running her fingers up and down Kara’s bicep. “You okay?” she checked.

“Better than okay. Better than flying.”

“Damn, that’s high praise, I suspect.”

“Definitely.”

“Do you want me to put away the kryptonite? I don’t want you to feel sick.”

“No!” Kara yelled out. “I, uh, I want to have my powers dulled until I, you know, take care of you.”

“You don’t have to. Really. I don’t expect it.”

“Do you not want it?” Kara asked, suddenly nervous again.

“Of course I do. But you shouldn’t feel pressure to reciprocate. I know this is your first time.” 

“It is. And I would very much like to see my girlfriend come during my first time.”

Lena’s body trembled in anticipation.

“Could you just, you know, help me?”

“I can. I think you’ll be just fine, but of course I’ll help you.”

Kara nodded, smiling tightly.

“Now, right now a light breeze could probably push me over the edge, but, pretending that isn’t the case, why don’t you start with my breasts? Like you normally do.”

Kara nodded, glad to start with something she had already done. She moved her mouth down Lena’s chest, kissing her almost reverently. She licked and sucked at Lena’s nipples until they were both stiff and the woman was gasping with pleasure. “Now?” Kara asked, feeling a bit like an overeager student.

“Now,” Lena instructed, “I want you to take your fingers and move them down to my cunt.” Kara flushed scarlet. Seeing the response, Lena backpedaled. “Sorry. Is that not a word you like?”

“I, uh, I’ve never used that word. But if you like it then you should use it.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, darling,” Lena murmured, threading her fingers through Kara’s long hair.

“No, really, it’s okay. It’s sort of…hot…you giving me instructions. Besides, it’s not like I have a substitute word to offer you for it. I generally, you know, avoid naming things. Back on Krypton we didn’t really have any of this shame, but I think spending my adolescence here got to me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I think my years in boarding school gave me a filthy mouth and took away pretty much all shame…”

“So, uh, I move my fingers,” Kara began hesitantly, letting her fingers glide down Lena’s torso, enjoying the feeling of the soft skin beneath them.

“I want you to feel how wet I am now.”

Kara dipped her hands lower, letting them slip across Lena’s entrance. “Wow. You’re even wetter than earlier.”

“That’s what you do to me. I want you to remember that, okay?”

Kara nodded enthusiastically, squirming as she felt an insistent throbbing between her own legs again.

“Now, wet your fingers a little and circle them up until you find my clit. At this point it should be plenty hard, so it won’t be as hard to find. And you’ll hear it when you do.” She leaned back, figuring she would let Kara explore without a set of eyes staring at her every movement. She let out a gasp as Kara’s fingers found her clit and a set of blue eyes popped up to check in.

“Good,” Lena moaned. “Now, not right on my clit, but around it, over the hood of it, I want you to slowly circle and tease. Can you do that?” And, as it turned out, she could. And she could do it well. As Lena’s back began arching off the bed and into Kara’s touches, she decided she should continue, let Kara have more of a full experience. “If you’re okay with it, you can lower your fingers, slip one inside of me. Get used to that before you add a second.”

Kara nodded, carefully moving her fingers down, loving the feeling of the slick wetness she found. She slid her index finger inside, gasping at how good it felt. She heard Lena’s instructions floating down. “Start slowly. Think about what you do to yourself. What I did to you.” Kara picked up the pace slowly, letting Lena relax around her before she added a second finger. She could feel the muscles start to tense around her fingers, assuming that meant she was doing something right. When she hooked her fingers forward slightly, letting them trail down Lena’s front wall, she heard a loudly moaned “Fuck!” coming from the pillows. Kara whimpered in response, feeling heat pooling between her legs, demanding some sort of attention from her. 

Desperate to make Lena feel as good as she had, Kara lowered her head. She hadn’t been asked to, but she wanted to, she wanted to taste Lena so badly it hurt. She fluttered her tongue around her fingers, lapping up some of the arousal that had spilled out, before she flicked her tongue back up to Lena’s clit, feeling it harden under her mouth.

Lena had not expected that. She wasn’t mad, but she worried that Kara felt obligated. “That’s amazing, but you don’t need to do it, you know.”

Kara lifted her mouth for a moment, just enough time to murmur back, “I want to.”

Lena groaned, letting her head drop to the pillow. She gave herself over to the feeling of Kara’s tongue, her long fingers. She felt herself getting closer, but she needed just a little more. “Kara? Can you go a little faster with your tongue?”

Kara sped up in response, loving the desperate panting, the low ragged breaths she heard in response. Each time she managed to move her tongue a little faster, she was rewarded with breathier and breathier sighs, with low growls and needy whimpers.

Lena knew she was probably growling out more curse words than Kara had said in her entire life, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. The way Kara was moving between her legs, her fingers fucking her hard and fast, curling against her g-spot, her tongue flicking over her clit impossibly fast—it was good, perfect. She wanted to warn Kara that she was coming, not to stop, but she was already tensing, already focusing all of her efforts on just breathing. But Kara knew better, could tell, could already read Lena’s body so well. She kept her pace until she felt Lena shaking and collapsing back to the bed, letting out a string of obscenities that had never sounded so good to Kara’s ears. Copying Lena’s motions, Kara slowly licked up Lena’s pussy, then sucked on her own fingers, watching Lena’s eyes tracking her tongue’s every movement. 

When Kara leaned back down, she felt the nervousness bubble back up. “Was that okay?”

“That was better than okay. Your tongue…I don’t think those were human speeds.”

“I mean…the kryptonite was supposed to weaken me, but it didn’t have to take away all of my powers…”

“Fuck. Maybe we should get a smaller piece…for science, you know.”

“So there’s going to be a next time?” Kara asked, still needing the confirmation.

“Darling, I’m ready to give you the next ten times right now.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanvers fluff and the return of Cat Grant!

Thursday morning, Alex was nervous. It was already 8, and still, no answer from Kara. She had sent 12 texts between last night and this morning, wanting to make sure that Kara was able to fly safely holding the kryptonite, that she hadn’t gotten hurt, that her powers had come back when she closed the box if she used it. And still nothing. Alex paced around her lab, trying not to throw things. It was a bad habit, she recognized that, but it actually helped to relieve her frustrations, unlike all of the stupid breathing exercises other people always suggested.

Walking down the hall on her way to the bathroom, Maggie heard a loud thump coming from Alex’s lab. She flew in, wishing for the first time since leaving Gotham that she was still a cop, still armed and ready to defend Alex against whatever intruders had dared to attack her girlfriend’s lab again. But when she looked up, all she saw was Alex, her head pressed down into one of the tables. “Al? You okay?”

“Huh?” Alex looked up, shaking the hair out of her eyes. “Oh, uh, yeah. Why?”

“I heard a noise.”

Alex blushed. “Er, I maybe threw a book down a little too hard.”

“Why the anger at your books, babe? You like books, remember? You’re a big nerd.”

“Yeah, well you like a big nerd,” Alex teased back, forgetting for a moment the stress that had been eating away at her since last night.

“Yes, I suppose I do. But seriously, what inspired the book bashing?”

“Kara. She’s been totally MIA since yesterday. And she has kryptonite now, and I don’t know what happened to her!” Alex tried to blink away the tears threatening to fall. She hated being emotional and feeling scared and powerless. It was exactly why she had devoted so much of her research time to projects that might help Kara, keep her safe in a way that Alex too often couldn’t do physically.

“Why does Kara have kryptonite?” Maggie asked, lowering her voice and drawing closer to Alex to make sure they wouldn’t be overheard in the halls.

“Oh, er, she wanted a small piece. To, uh, have sex with Lena.”

“I knew it!”

“Ew, why were you thinking about my little sister like that?”

“I wasn’t thinking about her in a sexual way. But more, you know, scientific curiosity.”

“Right. Anyway. I gave her a piece big enough to weaken her but not to really harm her and put it in a lead box for her to get safely home. But I texted her to make sure that she was okay, you know, flying with it, depositing it. But she hasn’t texted back. It’s been more than twelve hours!”

“Al, I’m sure she’s fine. Do you think maybe she just went straight to Lena’s? Maybe she was busy…”

“But she’d still check her phone. Right? I mean what if there was a Supergirl emergency? And now it’s morning! And she should be leaving for work, like, any minute now!”

“Okay, breathe, Alex. Breathe.”

“I hate breathing!” Alex shouted in frustration, blushing when she realized what she said. “Sorry, I understand basic biological processes. I mean that I hate being told to breathe as much as I hate being told to relax.”

“Okay, I get that. Sorry. But just, think about our first night together. Think about this weekend. Did you really check your phone all that often?”

“No,” Alex conceded, though she quickly added, “But I’m not a superhero!”

“Yeah, but Kara might have needed a night off. A night to be human. A human with a girlfriend that she wanted some uninterrupted time with.”

“Fine. But still. It’s after 8 now. Why isn’t she calling me back?”

Maggie shrugged her shoulders. She would admit that it was unlike Kara to be late to work. “Do you want to go over to her office to check? Maybe her phone died.”

“I guess I could swing by before my 9:30 meeting. I’ll give her until 9, but that’s the absolute latest Cat Grant would possibly let her go without firing her. And I don’t think knowing that Kara is Supergirl would make her any more lenient.”

“Wait. Dean Grant knows?”

“Oh. Yeah…it was a weird night…long story.”

“I’m sorry, but that sounds like an amazing story. Please tell! Short version?”

“Short version: Kara jumped into an interdimensional portal with her friend Barry, who’s a superhero known as The Flash in his own universe, to help save his world from an attack. We freaked out when we saw that Supergirl had gone totally off the grid. That’s how Cat and Lena found out she was Supergirl. And Winn and Hank know too, just in case you were wondering. We were working together until we got security tapes that showed her jumping into the portal with Barry, then it was just a waiting game. Fun fact: Cat bought me very expensive liquor, then got drunk with me until she fell asleep on my shoulder. Fun fact number two: I think she might be a little gay.”

“What?” Maggie didn’t know where to start. “There are so many things there. So many things to unpack. 1. The multiverse is real? Do we exist over there? What do I do? Am I president on any of the earths? 2. What does Cat Grant drink? 3. Did Cat Grant hit on you? Is that why you think she’s gay? 4. Let’s just keep circling back to Cat Grant’s being gay. I mean, yeah, she’s a little older. And she’s a little intimidating…or mean…I don’t know which. But she’s also pretty hot.”

Alex laughed. “We should probably do this tonight when we have more time. Right now, as much as I’ve enjoyed this distraction, I really do need to go back to panicking about my little sister.”

“Still no texts?”

“Still nothing.”

“Morning sex is a thing,” Maggie offered.

“Still my sister.”

“Right. Still your sister.”

Alex shrugged it off and decided to make her way over to the administrative building to sit outside of Kara’s office. She pulled on her leather jacket and followed Maggie out the door, locking up behind her. “Any chance you want to come with me?”

“After the speech I got from the Dean last time? Really not. But now that I think she’s gay? Sort of. But still no. I’ve got a class to teach.”

“Right. I’ll text you any updates. Then we’re still on for tonight as long as Kara is okay, right?”

“Absolutely.” Without thinking, Maggie leaned in to kiss Alex, earning a hard hand pushing back against her chest.

“At work. Okay being out. Not so okay dating a coworker.”

“Right. Sorry. Wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay.” Obviously Winn already knew, and Alex had the sneaking suspicion that Hank might too, though she didn’t know how he could, but she still didn’t think it would be appropriate, given that she was the new faculty mentor. Quite the warm welcome to the Department…

Alex walked briskly across campus, tapped her foot impatiently the whole elevator ride, and stormed across the fourth floor to Kara’s still shut door. She knocked. Nothing. She tried the door. Locked. Finally she resigned herself to waiting until 9 to panic and leaned against the doorframe, watching the time tick down on her phone.

After exactly 7 minutes and 49 seconds had elapsed, she was pulled from her thoughts by a woman clearing her throat.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Alex Danvers?”

Alex looked up to find Cat Grant’s gaze trained on her. She looked flawless as always, tailored black pants hugging her curves and cutting off right at her ankle to show off her impossibly high heels, paired with a white silk blouse and some statement jewelry piece Alex was sure came straight off a runway.

“Sorry…just waiting for Kara. Have you seen her?”

“No. But do tell Kiera that I expect her in my office as soon as she arrives. She is late.”

“I will, but,” Alex dropped her voice, “Cat? I don’t know that this is a Kara-problem…”

Cat schooled her face into a blank look. “Be that as a it may, it does not do well to have my employees missing meetings. And Kara cannot be the exception.” She added, stepping closer to Alex, making the taller woman’s breath catch, “Dean Grant here. I can be Cat if you ever make enough to satisfy my taste in alcohol or dress well enough to make me reconsider leaving my Vassar ways in the past.”

Alex flushed, nodding quickly.

“But…” Cat paused, “Do let me know if our friend in blue and red needs assistance. There is surprisingly little that money can’t help fix.”

“Thanks,” Alex murmured, hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

“And text Kiera. Tell her that if she’s not here within five minutes, her last job here will be finding her own replacement.” With that, Cat strode purposefully past Alex toward her own office. That was more like the Cat Grant Alex had come to expect.

Seconds before Kara’s deadline to keep her job arrived, Alex saw Kara sprinting down the hallway, fumbling to a stop before taking a deep breath and knocking on Cat’s door.

“You’re late, Kiera.”

“I am so sorry, Dean Grant! It’s a long story.”

“Good, then you’ll understand why I don’t have time to be bored by it.”

Knowing that Kara was safe (if dead to her), Alex scrawled a note on a piece of paper—“Check your phone. –A”—and shoved it under Kara’s door before huffing and making her way out of the building, texting Maggie from the elevator that everything seemed okay.

By the time Kara found the note, Alex was long gone into her day of meetings and classes. She charged her phone long enough to read through the litany of increasingly desperate messages, finally texting back, “I’m so sorry, Alex! I’m okay. Promise. Just got caught up…you know, having #toomuchfun!” Then, “You still love me right?”

A few hours later she received a reply: “You’re the worst. And I’m #unamused.” Eventually Alex relented in the face of Kara’s nonstop messages begging for forgiveness. “Fine, I love you. But don’t think I’m not still angry with you.”

“LOVE YOU TOO!! See you tomorrow!”

Alex sighed. She really didn’t need to see her sister and Lena together, knowing that Kara had managed to get herself so distracted with the woman as to be unavailable for over 12 hours.

The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough. Finally Maggie was knocking on her office door, a small bag in hand. “You ready to go?”

“Yes please!”

Despite the colder weather that had stuck around, Maggie loved being curled around Alex’s back on her motorcycle. She had purposefully taken the bus into work today just to enjoy the feeling of Alex’s ass and back pressed tight up against her. While she’d never do anything to endanger them while moving, at every stop sign and red light, she let her fingers wander, flicking under Alex’s jacket and skirting across tensed muscles, dragging roughly down Alex’s legs, even teasing the inside of her thighs.

But when they got upstairs, both women found themselves hungrier for dinner than for each other…at least for the moment. Over dinner, Maggie peppered Alex with all of the questions she had begun asking earlier in the lab. “Okay, first I want to know about Dean Grant. Spill.”

“Well, as of this morning I have confirmation that she at least flirted with the sapphic side in college.”

“Where’d she go?”

“Vassar.”

“Hmm…all women. She might be a hasbian.”

“A ‘hasbian’?”

“A woman who used to be a lesbian but isn’t really anymore.”

“She is flirty with me.”

A flash of jealousy hit Maggie, though it mingled with something like pride and maybe even arousal. “How so?”

“I think she just enjoys making me nervous. I don’t know, saying stuff about how if I learned to dress better maybe she’d reconsider switching from being a hasbian to being a lesbian again.”

“Did she use those words?” Maggie gasped.

“No, no. She said something much more…subtle. Some joke, really.”

“Well, by all means, add her to your list if you want.”

“My list?”

“You know, the people you’d get a pass for.”

“For…?”

“For sleeping with, Danvers. C’mon, I can’t possibly be the first one telling you this.”

“But…aren’t we a couple?”

“Of course!” Maggie moved to pull Alex closer to her, reassuring her, “I’m not sleeping with anyone else. It’s more a fantasy type of list. Like, if presented with the opportunity, these are the handful of women where my partner has given a blessing in advance. Though, you know, we could also add her to our threesome list,” Maggie threw out with a wink.

“Is that, is that, uh, something you want?”

“Alex, I’m perfectly happy with just you. Though, if it’s something you want, I’m not opposed to it. But I prefer being a solid two-person couple.”

It was a lot for Alex to process, so she just slid back to the idea of a list for now. “So, who’s on your list?”

“Kate McKinnon.”

Alex laughed a loud barking laugh. “That’s it?”

“Her and an English professor I had during undergrad.”

“Interesting…”

“I told you it was weird that you never had a professor crush.”

“I suppose so. Then sure, I’ll take Cat Grant for my list. Maybe we’ll have to go find some nicer clothes for me to wear. ‘Dress to impress’ and all that.”

“I think you look damn sexy in the ones you already own.” Alex shook her head, laughing, but pulled Maggie in for a kiss anyway.

“Okay, so, next question?”

“Right!” Maggie exclaimed. “How much did Cat Grant hit on you when she slept over here? And when was this?”

“Uh, it was the weekend before we finally got together. For real…not when I just lunged at you.”

“It was still sexy, just as a reminder. I just was fresh off a breakup and was still treating you like a fragile baby gay. But okay, so you were out and single…and nothing happened?”

“I mean, like I said, I think she enjoys flirting with me…toying with me. I did give her a ride home on the motorcycle. And I also accidentally suggested that she had ridden with Dykes on Bikes… Incidentally, have you?”

“Maybe…a girl should have her secrets, though. But hold up, circle back, you had Cat Grant clinging to you like I did on your motorcycle? She must have felt something!”

“If she did, she didn’t show it. It was a rather tame night, all things considered. We talked, though, which was surprising. Nice. Surprising because it was nice? And I think I drank bourbon that cost more than my wardrobe.”

Maggie laughed, rolling her eyes at how much those stories rang true against all that she had heard of the Dean. “I’ll let up for a bit now. Don’t think we won’t circle back to her, though. But now I need to know: the theory of the multiverse is true?”

“First of all, only a science professor acts like they’re going to ease up and hits you with a question about multiple universes.”

Maggie cuts in, “I think that’s pretty normal in the Philosophy Department too.”

“Is there even a normal there?” Maggie was still chuckling when Alex continued. “Yes, to answer your question, it is true. Barry and his friends live on an earth without Supergirl or any aliens of their own to help them defend the planet. Which is why they needed Kara’s help.”

“Have you visited the other earths?”

“No, just Kara. I think she has a standing invitation to go back, though.”

“Oh my god! We need to go!”

“Maggie, c’mon, you surely know the whole principle of not fucking with other realities, just like you can’t mess with the past. It wouldn’t be fair. At least Kara doesn’t exist there, so she can’t screw up her own other lives. We might, though.”

“I guess…do you think we’re straight on any of those earths?”

“Somehow I doubt you are ever straight, Sawyer.”

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” Maggie replied, beaming back at Alex. “But do we know anything about those worlds?”

“You can ask Kara more at dinner tomorrow, but I don’t think she’s been outside of these two earths. Barry and his friends seem to have been to plenty, so perhaps you’ll need to wait for him to run a little too fast and end up here again.”

“So not fair,” Maggie whined, still wanting to know about her other possibilities.

“Why do you need to know?” Alex asked.

“It’s just…do you ever think about all the different ways your life could have gone? Like, obviously we pick one, and you can’t spend your whole life caught up in what ifs, but sometimes I have to wonder what might have happened if I made different decisions at different times. Don’t you?”

“I suppose I do, but I tried to stop. At least once my dad died, I realized I couldn’t dwell in what could have happened, how we might have saved him.”

Maggie quieted at the poignant reflection. “I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to bring those memories up again.”

“No, no. It’s okay. I promise. It’s been a really long time. Sometimes it just hits me how much I still miss him. But, in response to your question, of course I wonder about my own life. I mean there are the easy ones, like what if I pursued a different job. What if I stuck it out and went to med school, then became a doctor? What if I had gone into the private sector to do research? What if I hadn’t even gone into the sciences? Maybe I’d be a writer or an actress or something.”

Maggie snorted.

“What? Don’t think I could make it?”

“I think you blush too much to be an actress.”

“No one asked you,” Alex retorted in a huffy voice.

They spent the rest of the night playing “what if” and imagining how they might have met each other if their lives had gone down different paths. They made it through actress/president, paleontologist/prince, lawyer/lawyer, and assassin/soccer star before Alex’s head began to droop.

“You tired, Al?”

“Hmm? No, no. Just, my eyelids are a little heavy, that’s all.”

Maggie chuckled. “Let me guess? You were up all night waiting to hear back from Kara and just pacing your apartment?”

“Maybe…I plead the fifth.”

“Then don’t answer before pleading next time,” Maggie teased. “Let’s get you to bed. I’ll even let you be the big spoon if you want.”

Alex was shocked, but she soon shrugged off the offer, “I don’t mind being the little spoon, even if you are the little one out of the two of us…”


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get the double date (and promises of additional Lena scenes to come soon)!

The next night found Alex, Maggie, Kara, and Lena sitting at the bar of some trendy new restaurant for its opening night. Alex had whined when Kara first told her, but when she continued to explain that their meal would be paid for, Alex jumped at the opportunity. Offer an academic free food… Alex and Maggie had both been relieved to see that the crowd was relatively young and eclectic, not the uptight corporate bunch they had both feared they would find. The restaurant itself had a rather unique aesthetic. Set up in an old townhouse, the owner had kept the original floorplan, making each room into a different dining experience, set off from the hallway with silk curtains. The bar, set up on the first floor by the entrance, looked more modern than most of the dining rooms, and the walls were lined with a mixture of beautiful photographs and modern looking paintings.

Noticing the two women’s distracted gazing, Lena chimed in, “Over there are the artists who did all of the paintings and prints around the restaurant. Would you like to meet them?”

“What?” Maggie asked, “You know the artists?”

“I do. I went to college with Charlie,” Lena motioned to a tall blonde woman with striking features, “and introduced her to the owner. She’s the photographer, and I believe the woman standing on her right is the painter.”

“Look at my girlfriend, making connections!” Kara beamed, pulling Lena into her and kissing her cheek.

Alex rolled her eyes at her little sister, but Maggie had already turned her attention back to Lena. “Could I talk to her? I swear I recognize some of the buildings in these pictures.”

“Of course,” Lena purred, leading Maggie over to Charlie and her friends.

Alex and Kara stayed at the bar, figuring they wouldn’t overwhelm Charlie while she was networking and probably making important connections. After a few moments of quiet, Kara turned to Alex and began, “Can you try to be a little nicer to Lena?”

“I am nice!” Alex retorted.

“About as nice as a mother bear…”

“Mother bears are just fine. To their cubs.”

“Yeah, well, we’re not bears. And Lena isn’t some hunter threatening my life.”

“Kara, she doesn’t have the best track record.”

“Are you kidding me? She has moved L Corp so far beyond its anti-alien days. How can you still hold that against her?”

“Not her family. I’m talking about you. My first introduction to you as a couple was watching her strutting out of your bedroom. Then, I shudder to imagine the number of ways she defiled you Wednesday night when you let all of your responsibilities fall by the wayside because you were too distracted by some…some…woman!”

“Alex, I’m an adult. I can make decisions. She is not…defiling me,” Kara blushed. “You get to talk about your sex life! Why can’t I have one?”

“We don’t talk in detail…”

“Some sisters do, you know,” Kara pouted. “They share everything. Lately I barely know more about your life than Eliza does.”

“That’s not true, and you know it,” Alex shot back. Tauntingly she continued, “But if you want to know about all the things Maggie does to me…just say the word.” 

“I’m not saying be explicit! But, you know, I just lost my virginity. It’d be nice to have a sister to talk to about these things. I’m so excited! And happy! She just makes me so happy, you know?”

“I’m sorry. I do, I get that. I guess we never really did that with me since, you know, Vicky would have been the first. And I wasn’t exactly keen on opening up about that…whatever it even was. How about a sister night sometime soon? I’ll try to pull the stick out of my ass for a moment or two and be a bit less overprotective.” Alex added, “I am happy, though, that she makes you happy.”

Kara beamed up at Alex and wrapped her in a hug that verged right on the line of painfully tight. “I love you, Alex.”

“Love you too, Kara. Now can you go ask your perfect girlfriend when we might be getting dinner? I didn’t eat lunch today, and I’m starving.”

“I’ll never understand your willingness to skip a meal,” Kara chuckled, leaving Alex to go grab Lena.

Within a few minutes, they were settled at a table in a cozy room. None of the chairs matched, though somehow the room still managed to cohere. It was as if they were sitting in a very aesthetically pleasing salon, with stuffed armchairs scattered throughout the room, clustered primarily around the fireplace. 

“Shall I order a bottle of red for the table?” Lena asked. “I did send along some suggestions, so I can personally vouch for the quality.”

Kara shrugged her agreement. Alex stammered when Lena’s gaze turned on her, but Maggie quickly cut in, “I think we’re going to pass on drinks tonight. I want to be wide awake when we get back to my place…first night we’ve gotten together in too long.”

Kara scrunched up her face, while Alex swallowed and nodded, grateful for Maggie’s quick thinking. Just because she had been okay not drinking didn’t mean that she wanted to explain it to the whole table. Lena smiled knowingly and dropped the order to just two glasses—one each for her and Kara. 

“So,” Lena began again, hoping to liven up the conversation, “did Maggie tell you about the photographs?”

“No, I forgot to ask, sorry. Did you know the places?” Alex enquired. 

“I did. Charlie drove across country a couple of summers ago, and a few of the ones in the bar room are from Nebraska. It’s not Blue Springs, but it’s a nearby town. I had a few friends who lived down there. Nice, if unexpected, to see a touch of home out in National City.”

“You’ll have to take me back to see them before we leave. I should familiarize myself with the landscape before I visit.”

“Are you going to Blue Springs?” Kara asked excitedly. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m going to spend some of the break there…meeting Maggie’s family.” Alex tried to downplay it, expecting Kara’s reaction.

Trying and failing to bite back a squeal, Kara lightly hit Alex on the arm. “When were you going to tell me? Have you told Eliza? Are you going to get some more of those cookies you told me about? Can you bring me some cookies?”

“I was going to tell you eventually. You’ve been a little busy,” Alex said pointedly, arching her eyebrows. “I haven’t told mom yet, but I’m still going to Midvale for a few days.”

“And bringing Maggie with you?” Kara interjected.

“Uh, I don’t think so. I think she wants to spend time with her family.”

“Oh, I think the six days we have booked is more than enough time,” Maggie laughed. “But I don’t have to come to Midvale, you know. I can just head back here, get to enjoy some peace and quiet before all the students come back.”

“No! You shouldn’t be alone! Come back to Midvale. I know Eliza would love to see you!” Kara had already started to imagine the possibilities, wondering if Alex would be on better behavior around Eliza with Maggie there.

Seeing Maggie’s hesitance, Alex murmured softly, “You’re welcome, really. But it’s up to you.” She added, “It might be fun to show you where I grew up, since you’ll have your turn.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Maggie added a reminder in her phone to change their plane tickets, hoping that the prices hadn’t gone up anymore. 

“So when are you going to Maggie’s?” Kara asked, having pulled out her phone to begin mapping out all of the things they could do while in Midvale. 

“We head out the last day of exams, then I guess now we’ll fly to Midvale on the 26th. But maybe we plan later?” Alex offered, noticing that Lena was being left out of the conversation.

“Fine! But you have to make it up to me that you’re missing Christmas day!” Kara pouted.

“What are your plans, Lena?” Maggie asked, helping to bring her back into the group. 

“Oh, work mainly,” Lena sighed. “The business never really takes a day off.”

“But,” Kara corrected, “Lena did promise that she would try to fly out to Midvale for the weekend after Christmas! So now we’ll all be there together! I’ll start a Google doc with potential plans. It’s going to be great!”

Alex rolled her eyes knowing that it was best to just let Kara roll with things once she got started. But, trying to live up to her promise to Kara to be nicer to Lena, Alex asked, “What about Christmas itself? Do you have anyone to spend it with?”

“Actually, I’m spending it with Winn. We’re doing something he called, ‘Orphan Christmas.’”

“Winn?” Alex asked, trying to mask the surprise.

“I quite like him, actually. I’m very interested in the work he’s doing in the lab. I like getting to talk science with him. Even though I dabble in the L Corp labs, my main job is really to run the business, so I don’t get much time to do research or experiments anymore. You might say I’m…living vicariously through him.”

“I think that’s the first time anyone has ever said that about Winn,” Alex laughed, earning herself another slap on the shoulder from Kara. “But I’m glad to hear that you’ll have someone. And, even I’ll admit, Winn’s smart and works on some pretty interesting projects. He can also whip up some pretty mediocre food if you ask.” 

They spent the rest of the evening in pleasant conversation, even as Kara kept trying to bring them back to the impending holiday vacation and their potential plans. By the end of the night, Alex was willing to concede that Lena did truly seem to care for her sister and renewed her promise to be nicer to the woman in the future.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of smut to start the week off right

When they got back to Alex’s apartment, Maggie’s reminder to change their plane tickets dinged. “I can take care of this if you want to call your mom,” Maggie offered, knowing that Alex had been putting off the phone call to Eliza to tell her she wouldn’t be home for Christmas.

“Fine,” Alex whined. “Hopefully the fact that you’re coming back with me will make her happy enough to ignore how much extra time we’ll be spending at your place.”

Alex set Maggie up with her computer before pulling out her phone and dialing her mom.

“Hello?” Eliza answered.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Are you okay, sweetie? It’s a Friday night. Are you still at work?”

“No, Maggie and I just got back from dinner with Kara and Lena actually.”

“Oh how nice! How are they? Is Lena taking good care of my youngest girl?”

Alex rolled her eyes but bit her tongue as she replied, “Yes, Mom. She’s very happy. They both are.”

“I’m glad to hear it. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Surely it isn’t just to tell me about your date.”

“Uh, no. I’m calling because we’re getting to the end of the semester. So winter break is coming soon.”

“Oh yes, yes it is. I’ve gotten so wrapped up in my own work I almost missed the time of the year. Luckily for me, every time I get groceries, I’m bombarded with red and green bins and peanut butter Santas in the checkout aisles.”

“Right, yeah, well, I’m going to uh, to meet Maggie’s family.”

“Alexandra! That’s wonderful,” Eliza breathed out. She knew that her relationship with Alex could be difficult, but since Thanksgiving their phone calls had been significantly less tense. Not even one had ended with screaming. And, Eliza dared to hope, it sounded like Alex was no longer using their calls as an excuse to get drunk. Though, she reasoned, it probably helped that she had been quick to voice her support of Alex each time her daughter called, wanting to show her that she was so happy for her and Maggie.

“I’m glad you think so!” Alex breathed out a sigh of relief, happy both that her mother was excited for her and that she wasn’t pushing her for more details. She continued, “We’re going to fly to Blue Springs right after exams end. Her mom, well, she invited me to stay through Christmas. So, I’ll be there. On the 25th…”

“And you’re sure you’re welcome?”

“Yes, Mom. Her mom invited me personally over speaker phone.” Alex cringed at the memory.

“Okay, well that’s fine with me. Will I get to see you as well? This break, I mean.” Eliza didn’t want to sound needy. It was good to see Alex in such a healthy relationship. She didn’t think her eldest had ever gotten to the “meet the parents” stage in a relationship, and she dared to hope that Maggie would continue shepherding Alex through these firsts. But she also still wanted to see her daughter.

“I’ll be home, don’t worry. Well, actually, I was calling to check if it would be okay for Maggie to come with me. We could fly out from Nebraska on the 26th and stay in Midvale for a few more days. Apparently we’ll overlap with Lena’s visit?”

“Hmm, Kara didn’t tell me about this. Perhaps you could remind her that she should be a more responsible girlfriend like you’re being and call her dear mother. I should get some warning if I need to make extra beds or buy some sort of holiday present.” Alex hated herself for feeling so pleased about beating Kara, but she shook it off as Eliza began speaking again. “As far as Maggie, of course you should bring her. I enjoyed getting to meet her at Thanksgiving, and I know how much happier you are with her around.”

“Thanks, Mom. I can let you go, but I’ll forward you our ticket confirmation emails so that you have our schedule.”

“Thank you, Alex. Remember to tell Kara to call me if her girlfriend is going to be visiting. I love you.”

“Will do. Love you too, Mom.”

Alex looked up in time to see Maggie beaming at her. “Sounds like a pretty okay conversation, huh, Danvers?”

“Yeah, yeah. It was fine. Get ready for Midvale!” she enthused sarcastically.

“Pssh, I was born ready. Tickets have been fixed, and we are officially set for break.”

“You mean other than the last days of classes, the hours and hours of office hours, and the grading of hundreds of exams and lab reports?”

“Shhh. Don’t ruin the moment, Danvers.”

Alex rolled her eyes and dragged Maggie back to the bedroom with her, peeling off layers of clothing as they walked.

“A bit presumptuous?” Maggie teased, even as she was already halfway out of her pants.

“Oh I think I know that I’m getting lucky tonight.”

“And why do you say that?”

“Hmm…I think I have a few text messages with a countdown going of how many days it’s been. And,” Alex quirked an eyebrow, “I bet if I checked, I’d find you dripping wet for me.”

Maggie groaned and pulled Alex into the bed, straddling her hips as she kissed Alex, gently at first but quickly turning harder, rougher. 

“That’s what I thought,” Alex murmured, feeling how desperately Maggie was already grinding against her thigh.

“Please?” Maggie whimpered. Even with the hectic week, Maggie had spent every night wishing that Alex were in her bed, even just curled into her, her hair splayed out across the pillows, her breathing soft and rhythmic. But now she was in Alex’s bed, and the last thing she wanted to do was sleep. 

Feeling much the same way, Alex tore off the last of Maggie’s clothing. With Maggie still kneeling over her, Alex ran her nails down Maggie’s chest, letting them chase through her dark curls and flit across the wetness waiting for her between the shorter woman’s legs. Alex knew tonight wasn’t about teasing. It was about keeping each other close after too many nights apart, of leaving each other with searing memories before they spent the next god knows how many days apart, trapped in their offices with anxious students and piles of papers. 

Alex dropped her fingers lower, wetting them before circling Maggie’s clit. Maggie whimpered as she dropped her arms down to the bed, hands falling on either side of Alex’s shoulders as she chased Alex’s fingers with her hips. Alex chucked softly but gave in, slowly easing one, then two fingers inside of Maggie, pumping slowly in and out until she felt Maggie twitching and fucking herself harder against Alex’s fingers, trying desperately to find the friction she needed. Alex picked up the pace, making sure that the rest of her hand was pressed firmly against Maggie’s clit.

Maggie groaned in relief, wondering how she had possibly gone this many days without Alex’s hands, her mouth, her tongue. She needed to know that Alex felt the same way, that Alex was as desperate for her as she had been for Alex. She shifted, balancing all of her weight on her left hand as her right traced patterns across Alex’s toned abs, finally falling between her legs. Maggie smirked at how wet Alex was already, dropping her head down to meet Alex halfway to a searing kiss. As she felt Alex’s hips bucking into her hand, Maggie slipped two fingers inside of Alex, gasping at the low moans suddenly pouring out of Alex’s lips. She thrust her hips harder and harder against Alex’s hand, feeling herself getting closer as her fingers curled inside of Alex, making the redhead cry out. 

Sensing how close Maggie was, Alex redoubled her efforts, ignoring the dull burn of her muscles as she fucked Maggie harder, curling the fingers of her other hand into Maggie’s hair as she whispered, “I want to see you come, Mags.” That did it, pushing Maggie over the edge. Maggie felt her muscles quickly tense and contract as she dropped onto Alex’s chest, heaving as she fought to even her breath, still shuddering at the unexpected intensity of her orgasm. 

Once she had caught her breath, Maggie noticed Alex squirming under her and remembered where her fingers were, not that they had been doing anything particularly helpful for the past few minutes. She rolled off of Alex and redoubled her efforts, earning a gasp of surprise from Alex. Wanting to make it up to her girlfriend, Maggie shuffled down the bed, trying to keep her pace as she moved, and dropped her head between Alex’s legs, letting her tongue flick through the wetness that had spilled out around her fingers and up around Alex’s clit. After a few minutes, she felt Alex’s hand tighten in her hair, pulling Maggie into her pussy as her hips trembled and her breathing grew ragged. When Alex stilled, her body stiff, Maggie strained to look up at Alex’s face, finding her reward in the silent “O” of Alex’s mouth before she crashed over the edge with a quiet gasp and shudder.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nice long chapter with sister bonding, the superfriends, and just a bit of smut ;)

The next week flew by rather uneventfully. Sure, Alex found a couple of tearful students begging her to let them drop the class even though add/drop had ended months ago, and Maggie dealt with her first phone call from a parent demanding that she change his son’s grade lest he stop donating to the university, but otherwise things were too hectic for them to even notice the long stretch of time spent apart. Even the end of classes didn’t bring an end to the madness, as Alex and Maggie had both scheduled additional office hours and study sessions.

Truth be told, Alex secretly enjoyed this time of the year. Sure, it used to be more about the business that distracted her from reminders of her impending trip home or gave her excuses to cancel on dates that she hadn’t wanted to schedule in the first place. But there was also something to be said for seeing her students’ walls crumble a bit. NCU was no southern school with students attending every class in their Sunday best, but they still tended to make an effort. During study days and exams? All bets were off. The sweatpants and flannel fell out of the closets in droves. Her favorite memory had to be when one of the football team’s linebackers came sprinting into her office in a Spongebob Squarepants sweatshirt, bright red flannel pants, and Ugg boots that looked large enough to fit an elephant, already panting his apologies for oversleeping and being a few minutes late to their meeting. Alex spent the whole meeting fighting to hold back her laughter, not wanting to embarrass the student any more than he already was.

Reflecting on the memory, Alex shot a text to Maggie during the few minutes she had blocked off for lunch on Friday: “Weirdest outfit you’ve seen so far?”

“Is this a thing??? I don’t remember letting my professors see me in PJs during college.”

“Yeah. It definitely is. So…any winners?”

“Not to my office. Though I did get one who definitely should have worn a bra…it’s too cold out for that shit.”

“Hey! She should back off.” Alex knew that Maggie was professional and would never think about a student like that, especially an undergrad, but she still felt a pang of jealousy shoot through her.

“My eyes were firmly on her face, Danvers. Besides, why look at someone else’s when I could just ask you for a pic, right?”

“Are you asking me to sext you, Dr. Sawyer?”

“I would never! Unless you’re offering…”

“I’ve got a panicky 19 year old showing up at my office in 10 minutes, so I’m saying no for now.”

“For now?” Maggie immediately sent back.

“Yes, for now.”

“Don’t think I’m going to forget!!” Alex laughed. She could just picture Maggie’s reaction. Hell, she had probably taken a screenshot to use as proof later.

“Wouldn’t expect anything else. By the way, Kara is still doing game night tomorrow. She and I are doing sister dinner before, but if you want to join, offer is out there. It should be shorter than last time.”

“I wouldn’t mind a break. Time?”

“8 at Kara’s.”

“Same crowd as last time?”

“Yep, plus one. Apparently James is dating someone now.”

“Wooh! I’m not the new one anymore!”

“Be nice,” Alex warned. “You and Lena had someone else to be new with.”

“Wouldn’t dream of being mean ;)”

\----

Saturday afternoon, Alex showed up at Kara’s with two large pizzas and a box of hot chocolate mix she had gotten as a gift from one of her freshmen. “I come bearing food!” she called out, letting herself into Kara’s apartment.

The blonde came running from her bedroom, a huge smile already plastered on her face at the sight. “Gimme! I’m starving.”

“What?” Alex teased, “Has it been over an hour?”

“It has been two whole hours, Alex. And I fought aliens all night.”

“Is that the smell?”

“Oh my god! You can still smell it? I knew I wasn’t just imagining it.”

Alex pulled Kara in and sniffed her. “Maybe your hair stinks a little, but I think the smell isn’t coming from you.”

“Oh…the suit?”

“Kara! Did you not wash it?” Alex accused, glaring at her little sister.

“I did! But he oozed all over me. I don’t think it’s so easy to get out of clothing.”

“Go…I don’t know, fill your bathtub with bleach and just stick it in there.”

“Do you think it’ll hurt my suit?”

“Kara! It’s bulletproof and fire proof. I think it’ll be just fine in some cleaning chemicals. And Winn can blame me if not.”

“Fine,” Kara pouted. But in a flash she had the suit soaking in some diluted bleach and had set up scented candles all around the apartment, which did a lot to help with the smell. “Okay, now I’ve definitely earned my pizza!”

Alex rolled her eyes and pulled out two plates, following Kara to the couch. They spent the first half hour just catching up on everything that had happened this week. Kara told Alex about all of the administrative craziness; it had gotten so bad that she had been pulled off of fundraising just to deal with the deluge of paperwork. And Alex recounted her favorite stressed-out student moments from the past few days and complained about all of the grading she would need to do in the coming weeks.

“But enough about work,” Alex finally conceded, “tell me about you. How’s life? How’s Lena? Did you call mom like I reminded you to do?”

“Yes! Eliza is excited to have a full house, even if it’ll be pretty empty on Christmas…”

“Kara.”

“Yes, yes, I know! I’ll just miss you. It’ll be our first Christmas apart.”

“I know, and I’ll miss you too.”

“Are you excited to meet Maggie’s family?”

“Um, more like nervous? You know I’ve never done that!”

“It’ll be fine! Just be you, but you know, maybe a little less you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Alex snapped.

“Well…like that. You know, maybe don’t get so…mean?”

“I am not mean.”

“Not really. But sometimes you sound mean.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Alex. Seriously? You threaten Winn’s life on a daily basis.”

“In jest!”

“But they won’t know that. So just be nice to everyone, okay? You’re a great catch, and they’ll love you. You make their daughter happy, and that’s all anyone can want.”

“We’ll see. But what about you and Lena?”

“Oh my gosh! Things are so good, Alex,” Kara gushed. “I just…I know it’s too early to say it, but I really like her…like…maybe I love her?”

Alex wrapped Kara into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you. I’m not saying tell her now, especially since you don’t seem completely sure, but don’t worry about stupid rules to dictate when you should do stuff. You watch too many rom-coms for your own good.”

“There is no such thing. But yeah, that’s probably good advice.”

“It’s coming from me. It’s definitely good advice.”

“Oh really? You’re the grand master of love and dating advice? Since when?”

“I have a super hot girlfriend, don’t I?”

“Yeah…your first,” Kara teased.

“We’ve certainly made up for lost time,” Alex tossed back with an exaggerated wink.

Kara made a gagging noise, to which Alex responded, “What happened to your whole, ‘I wish we could talk about sex’ shtick?”

Schooling her face into a more neutral expression, Kara nodded. “You’re right. Now that I’m, you know, having sex too, it does seem a little less weird to think about other people doing it.”

“That’s the spirit,” Alex said in a tone of fake enthusiasm, shaking her head as she pulled out another slice of pizza before Kara could finish all of it.

“So…you’re happy then? With, you know, all of that?”

“God, Kara, I don’t want to talk about this with you if you still can’t even say the words.”

“Sorry! No, Lena has been practicing with me. I can even say ‘cunt’ without blushing now.”

Alex stammered. Of all of the things she might have expected to come out of Kara’s mouth, that was not one of them. “I, uh, what? What are you practicing?”

“Getting rid of some of this planet’s shame. I know that sex wasn’t as big of a thing on Krypton, since we didn’t normally reproduce in the same way, but we were also very straightforward. Kids weren’t taught some myth about a bird dropping babies down chimneys, you know?”

Alex laughed, “Kara, I think you’re confusing the stork and Santa.”

“Whatever. Two weird stories.”

“So, okay, well…that’s good, I guess.”

“It is good,” Kara clarified. “It’s all good, if you know what I mean.”

“I think people on other planets know what you mean,” Alex teased. “But that’s great, really. I’m glad that Lena is good to you.”

“She really is. She’s so patient, and she never pressures me, you know? I get to set the pace. And she makes sure to put the kryptonite away when we’re done, even if I fall asleep, that way I never wake up feeling unwell.”

Alex dropped her head to Kara’s shoulder, throwing an arm around her. “I think I might just approve of Lena Luthor.”

Kara blushed and smiled. “Good. Because I want us to all get along. Now Maggie? She’s good to you?”

Alex squirmed, trying to fight off the initial rush of squeamishness over talking about her girlfriend to her sister. “Yeah. She’s perfect, Kara.”

Kara nodded enthusiastically, prompting Alex to keep talking.

“She’s amazing. She can cook, and she’s funny and sarcastic, and she’s caring but not in some gross always holding hands kind of way. She makes me so happy, like, I don’t know, like I haven’t felt in so many years. And, if we’re talking about it, the sex…oh my god. I just assumed I didn’t like sex, you know? Like it wasn’t something that would ever really matter to me. And that was fine. There are plenty of people where that is their normal. But, as it turns out, I am very much not one of them. I was just trying with the wrong people.”

“That’s great, Alex, I’m glad she makes you so happy. And it shows, you know?”

“Do you think people can tell? Like, am I too happy? Do I have the ‘I just got laid’ look?”

Kara laughed and scrunched up her nose. “Is that a look?”

Alex just raised her eyebrows.

“Okay, fine, that’s a thing. I don’t think people see you and think that. They just see you looking…happy. It looks good on you.”

“Yeah? Yeah. I like it too.”

They spent the next hour gushing about their girlfriends and the dates they had gone on and were planning for the future. Alex even indulged Kara and let her talk about all of the things she had planned for while they were in Midvale. After a few minutes of information she had really already heard about at dinner and then again over text, Alex cut her off: “Don’t you think we should start getting ready? Everyone’s going to be here soon.”

“Oh my gosh! You’re right! Here, help me set up the food and drinks.”

Alex helped arrange the cookies and brownies on plates, while Kara set out rows of mugs and a bag of mini marshmallows for the hot cocoa. “I got some Bailey’s and peppermint schnapps too in case we want to make more adult beverages.”

“You just like the peppermint taste,” Alex teased.

“Yeah and you’d have a cup of Bailey’s on its own, hot chocolate forgotten,” Kara shot back.

“Not tonight.” Alex stuck her tongue out.

Turning serious, Kara tried, “Yeah, I’ve noticed. You’re, uh, not drinking recently?”

“No, not really.” Alex wasn’t sure she wanted to turn it into something.

Kara nudged Alex gently. “Do you want me to put these away? No one needs to be drinking during finals. Well, I guess it’s not finals for Lena, James, and his plus one, but for the rest of us it’s a hectic time of year.”

“It’s okay, really. But thanks, Kara. I’m just, well, I don’t know. Maggie said something to me, and we made a bet, but I don’t really feel like I care much about drinking lately. Maybe sometimes. I did want to forget Thanksgiving a bit…”

“Why?” Kara interjected.

“Oh, uh, as it turns out, Vicky and I were not that quiet.” Alex blushed scarlet, though Kara just cackled. “Whatever. It’s fine. Moving past it. Just like mom did. But still, I don’t really need to drink. I don’t have much I want to forget or dull these days.”

Kara wrapped her sister up in a tight hug, whispering, “I’m proud of you. And I definitely like Maggie.”

“I like her too,” Alex whispered back, fighting the tears that threatened to fall at Kara’s words. “But, we still have pizza boxes to throw out and games to set up! OH! How could I forget? Get your damn suit out of the tub! No need for James’ girlfriend to find out your secret during the first meeting.”

“On it!” Kara yelled, already in the bathroom rinsing off the suit. Alex traipsed around the living room, cleaning up their plates and gathering the boxes and napkins to throw out. Kara quickly came flying back into the living room, spritzing some air freshener to get rid of any lingering smells now that she had blown out the candles. Satisfied that the apartment looked good enough, Alex and Kara flopped down onto the couch, only to be forced back up a minute later by a knock at the door.

“Winn!” Kara squealed, pulling him into a hug. “It’s been too long! How are you?”

“Good, good. Busy. Jealous of my students who get to wear pajamas to my office hours.”

Kara laughed. “It’s probably for the best that they don’t see your Supergirl PJs.”

“Shut up! I have other ones.”

“Oh right, the Superman ones?”

“He’s awesome. There is no embarrassment to be had.”

“Whatever, nerd. Wait! How’d your date go?” Kara asked. “You still haven’t told me anything!”

“Oh, it was good. Yeah. Good.”

Alex popped her head up and peered at Winn from the couch. “Who is this mysterious suitor? Tell more.”

“Nothing.” Winn squirmed, uncomfortable with the onslaught of attention. “We met at a conference. I don’t know if it’s going to be a thing. We’ve gone on a few dates. We’re different but it sort of works? I don’t want to jinx it.”

“Anyone would be better than that Siobhan woman. Gosh, I like most people, Winn, but she was terrible.”

“Yeah…in retrospect. But she was pretty.” Winn sent Kara a half-hearted smile.

“Whatever, as long as this one isn’t going to come prancing into Dean Grant’s office trying to make me look bad.”

“You were just jealous that someone else had Cat’s attention for a second,” Alex teased.

“I don’t have a crush on Dean Grant!” Kara yelled, “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

Maggie poked her head around the still half-open door, smirking at the conversation she had walked into. “I’d say it’s because you do. And hell, half of NCU does. I do,” she offered.

Kara looked at Alex with wide-eyes before turning back to Maggie, “My sister is right there!”

“Your sister who would 100% fall into bed with Cat Grant if the woman so much as snapped her fingers in Alex’s direction,” Maggie taunted.

“False!” Kara retorted.

“Eh, probably true,” Alex conceded. Seeing the look of surprise on Kara’s face, she continued, “I’m not actively pursuing her. But you have to admit, she’s hot in that intimidating, I don't know whether to be scared or turned on kind of way.”

“I’ll second that,” Winn offered.

“I’ll third it, if that’s a thing,” Maggie added.

“Fine,” Kara huffed. “She’s still my boss. I don’t like the direction this conversation is heading in.”

Maggie laughed as she made her way out of the doorway, dropping off a container of pizzelles from her mother in the kitchen with the other cookies before heading into the living room to greet Alex with a kiss. But instead Alex pouted, “Why did you give away my cookies? You know Kara’s going to eat them all.”

“Relax, Danvers. I saved a whole thing at home just for you. But it is nice to share every so often.”

“Not so fun to share with a Kryptonian. Oh, by the way, James’ new girl doesn’t know that Kara is Supergirl, so no talking about that.”

“Got it. Now that I’ve confirmed that I saved you cookies, can I please get my kiss?”

Alex smiled and nodded, pulling Maggie down toward her. They parted again when they heard another knock at the door.

Kara opened the door and pulled Lena into a tight hug before noticing James and a short, very pretty woman behind her. “James! Sorry to ignore you! It’s good seeing you. And who’s the lucky lady?”

“This is Lucy,” James introduced. “Lucy, this is Kara, one of my best friends. That’s Lena, her girlfriend and the CEO of L Corp. That’s Winn. He’s a professor at NCU. And so are Alex and Maggie actually. Also dating.”

Lucy nodded, trying to keep all of the information straight.

Before she could feel overwhelmed, Kara was at her side. “What do you do? Also, do you want cookies? Brownies? Hot chocolate?”

“Let the woman breathe,” Alex called to Kara. “Sorry,” she addressed Lucy, “Kara can get a bit excited with new guests. She’s always been the hostess out of the two of us.”

“Wait, are you two a couple?”

“Oh, no! We’re sisters,” Kara corrected. “Don’t worry, we’re foster sisters. I was adopted. So, you know, we don’t really look alike. Easy mistake to make.”

“Okay. Sorry. Oh and I’m a lawyer. And I would love something to drink.”

“Hot chocolate for everyone?” Kara asked loudly.

A chorus of “yes” and “yeah” and “yes please” met her as she made her way to the kitchen to get everything ready. In a few minutes she called everyone out, distributing the mugs and pointing to the marshmallows and booze for anyone who wanted to customize their cocoa. Before forgetting, she pulled a large thing of whipped cream from the fridge. “I almost forgot the best topping!”

Lena whispered something in Kara’s ear that made the blonde blush—a moment Maggie noticed but decided to ignore for Alex’s sake.

Once they were all settled in the living room, Kara asked what game everyone wanted to start with. “What about never have I ever?” Lucy asked. “It might be a nice way to get to know you all, seeing as I’m still working on keeping you straight.”

“Good luck with that,” Maggie teased. “But yeah, I think Lena and I could also use some more getting to know you time with the group too.” Alex hugged Maggie into her, grateful that her girlfriend was helping Lucy to feel included.

After going through a quick refresher on the rules, Kara volunteered to start. “Never have I ever…gotten a speeding ticket.”

The group groaned, everyone drinking from their mugs. Alex nudged her sister, “Kara. One, that’s something only you would think to use in this game. Two, I know you deserved a ticket more than once. You just pout with your big blue eyes and get out of the damn tickets every time.”

“Still not on my record,” Kara taunted, sticking her tongue out at her sister.

“Settle down, sisters,” Maggie teased. “Never have I ever kissed a boy.”

Alex looked slightly shocked, though she guessed it didn’t surprise her that much. Taking a sip, she looked around and saw everyone drinking except James and Lena.

“You too?” Maggie asked Lena.

“Unless we’re going to count the small kisses you trade in Europe.”

“Fair enough,” Maggie conceded.

James, figuring he could keep the rest of the group drinking after this, tossed in, “Never have I ever hooked up someone of the same sex.” He looked slightly startled when everyone else drank, including Lucy.

“Oh I like her,” Maggie teased, smirking up at Lucy.

“Seriously?” James asked. “I’m the only straight one?”

“Welcome to your turn as the minority,” Lena taunted. “The gays are taking over.”

“Hey! Bisexuals are real,” Winn whined.

“That we are. And I’m still with you, aren’t I?” Lucy offered, earning a genuine smile and a nod from James, who seemed to have recovered from his moment of shock.

Alex went next, saying, “Never have I ever tried weed.” This time it was Alex’s turn to be shocked when everyone else drank. “Kara?!?”

Kara blushed, “I found some brownies at a party. I didn’t know that anyone would mess with brownies! It’s not like any of it affected me, though.”

Alex’s jaw clenched as she glared at Kara, willing her to correct her statement. Maggie, seeing Alex’s stress levels rising, threw in, “Oh yeah, first time rarely does. If you ever want to try again, little Danvers, just say the word.”

Kara had figured it out at this point and just nodded while Lena chuckled quietly. Hoping to keep the attention away from Kara, Lena threw out, “Never have I ever been blackout drunk.”

“Really?” Alex asked in disbelief, already drinking deeply from her own cup.

“Really. CEO. Parental expectations. Constant attention from the media. I like to be in control. So, you know, just toeing that line between plastered and black out.”

“Someone should really have told me about that line,” Lucy joked, shaking her head as she drank. “Might have been nice to remember my 21st birthday.”

“Cheers to that,” Winn toasted as he drank.

Kara shook her head as did James, who met Lucy’s shocked expression with an explanation: “I’m a bigger guy. It takes a lot to even get me drunk.”

Maggie whined, “It took a long time to build enough tolerance to keep up with the women’s rugby team.”

“You played rugby?” Alex was shocked.

“No…I just played with the rugby team.” Maggie smirked.

“I see. Yes. Right,” Alex stuttered.

Winn interrupted the awkward moment. “Never have I ever been caught having sex.”

Maggie and Lena both drank quickly, coloring slightly at the memories. Seeing Alex not drinking, Maggie nudged her, “Hey! Vicky not ringing any bells for you?”

“I don’t think it counts if no one walked in on you. Just because they knew doesn’t make it getting caught,” Alex replied defensively.

“But I caught you,” Kara began before Alex covered her mouth with her hands, earning a lick of Kara’s tongue as she tried to speak.

Maggie, knowing exactly what Kara was referring to, laughed hard before she turned back to Kara, “I don’t think that really counts, since there wasn’t anyone else there.”

Alex blushed scarlet and hit Maggie hard. Winn, seeing Alex’s embarrassment and hoping to avoid being responsible for her first major fight with Maggie, cut in, “Oh no! We’re not including jerking off or watching porn. I’d have to drink for sure then.”

Alex shot Winn a grateful smile for deflecting attention away from her, and was shocked further when Lucy agreed that she too would have to drink. “Also a sister sticking her nose where it didn’t belong,” Lucy teased, hoping that Kara would know she was mainly joking.

Kara pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, but was soon laughing with the rest of them.

Lucy continued, “Never have I ever been arrested.”

Alex (“public indecency”), Maggie (“bar fight”), and James (“racist policing”) all drank.

As Lucy, Winn, James, and Lena got tipsy, the questions got even more inappropriate. Kara, sensing the direction the game was headed in and determined to prove to Alex and her friends that she could keep up, tried, “Never have I ever given a blowjob,” though she hesitated and lowered her voice slightly before speaking the final word.

Everyone but Alex looked at Maggie in shock when she drank. “What?” she shrugged. “Guys aren’t the only ones that can get blowjobs.”

“Then never have I ever received a blowjob,” Lucy tried, generally curious about how widespread the practice was.

While she had expected Winn and James’ responses, Kara’s jaw dropped when Maggie, Lena, and her sister all drank. She spluttered and stuffed her face with cookies to distract from the imagery that was racing through her mind. She made a mental note to ask Lena about this later.

Eventually the game devolved into targeted attacks, and by the time Kara drained her third mug (“Never have I ever set the kitchen on fire”), they decided to call it a night.

On Winn’s way out the door, Kara and Alex grabbed him. Hoping that the night of sharing would make him more open, Kara prompted, “Okay, c’mon! Spill about the mystery conference person!”

“Ugh,” Winn whined. “I don’t want to ruin it.”

“It won’t! We can help you this way.”

In one breath, Winn rushed out, “His name is Mike, and he was a bartender not a professor, but he’s really, really cute, and I think he thinks I’m cute when I dork out about stuff.”

Alex and Kara both aww-ed, and Kara attempted to persuade Winn to bring Mike to the next game night to no avail. Even her puppy dog eyes couldn’t make him change his mind. “Maybe after the holidays?”

“Maybe. I offer no promises.” And with that, Winn walked out of the apartment, stealing a few cookies on his way.

Alex shook her head at him, though when Kara looked away, she motioned for Maggie to grab a container of cookies as well. Leftovers were a rarity at game night, and Alex thought it was only right to seize the opportunity. Maggie swept a tin into her bag before Kara noticed, then hugged Lena and Kara goodbye as she took Alex’s hand.

Standing outside, Alex shuffled her feet. “I know we both have to get work done tomorrow.”

“Yeah…I should probably just go to my place.”

“Probably.”

Maggie bit her lip and twirled her keys. “I happened to drive my car instead of the bike today… Care to say goodnight in there?”

Alex nodded, biting back a wide grin as she followed Maggie to her car, which was parked in the lot behind Kara’s building. When she moved to hop in the front seat, Maggie pulled her back. “You know, the back seat accommodates two people a little more easily.”

“Right. Right.” Alex shook her head and followed Maggie into the back. She eagerly pulled Maggie into a kiss as soon as the doors were shut, letting her hands grope Maggie through layers of clothing. “I feel like an actual teenager right now.”

Maggie just whined, clambering over Alex to straddle her hips. She let her hands drop between Alex’s legs, rubbing hard against her jeans. Alex moaned and thrust her hips faster into Maggie’s hands. She used her own hands to pull Maggie’s face in closer, letting her tongue part Maggie’s lips as their kiss became wet and more than a little sloppy. Alex dropped a hand down to Maggie’s hips, fumbling with the shorter woman’s belt. Trying to help, Maggie rose up slightly only to slam her head into the roof of the car, cursing in pain.

Maggie all but growled as she threw Alex down across the backseat, climbing back on top of her and leaning down to bite and suck at her neck as she undid her own belt for Alex, popping open the button and undoing the zipper as well. She guided Alex’s hand down, making sure the redhead was still okay with everything, and groaned when she felt Alex’s fingers press against her.

“How are you this wet already?” Alex gasped.

“You do that to me, baby. You feel so good under me.”

Alex licked her lips as she moved her fingers through Maggie’s folds, wetting them before she moved back up to Maggie’s clit, tracing fast, rough circles over it. Maggie grunted in approval, thrusting her hips against Alex’s hand as she pushed her thigh down into Alex’s pussy, swearing she could feel the heat even through all of the layers.

Alex used her other hand to pull gently on Maggie’s hair, running her nails up the back of Maggie’s neck. Alex sucked on her earlobe and growled, “God, I love your cunt. I need to taste you. I need you to come for me. Come all over my hand.” The words and the heat of Alex’s tongue and her insistent fingers pushed Maggie over the edge, her whole body collapsing on top of Alex.

“That was so fucking hot. Oh my god. Please talk dirty, like, all the time.”

Alex grinned and blushed, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed about her earlier words. Catching Alex’s reaction, Maggie kissed her soundly. “Seriously, Alex, it’s such a turn on. Now please let me make you come?”

Alex nodded, and Maggie quickly undid her pants and pulled them down just enough to wedge her hand between Alex’s legs. She roughly pushed the soaked lace aside and slid two fingers inside of Alex, who keened at the contact, thrusting against Maggie’s hand.

“Fuck me harder. Please,” Alex whined.

Maggie shifted as she tried to get a better angle. It had been a long time since she’d done anything in the backseat of a car, especially a tiny sedan like this one. Just as she found a better angle and had Alex moaning loudly under her, a loud knock on the window startled them.

Maggie rushed to protect Alex, turning around to face the window while sitting firmly in front of Alex, hoping that the other woman would be able to get her pants back up. She ignored the fact that her own pants were still undone with her belt hanging uselessly off her hips. She didn’t event want to think about the state of her hair.

Maggie relaxed slightly when she saw that it was Lena, not the cops or some pervert. Rolling down the window, she asked, “Can I help you?”

Alex peered around Maggie’s back at the sound of Lena’s voice. “I will give you $500 to leave immediately.”

“I’ll take it,” Maggie jumped at the offer. “But I have to ask, how did you even know we were here?”

“Super-hearing has some downsides. Apparently she was just checking to make sure everyone got home okay and heard some things she’d rather not have heard. And even when I took the kryptonite out, she insisted that she could still hear. And now she won’t have sex with me until this stops. So I am here, offering you $500 to go home. Hell, go fuck in a parking lot down the street if you must. Just leave this one. Please.”

“Deal,” Maggie offered, sensing that Alex was still too embarrassed to respond. “Enjoy your uninterrupted sex.”

“We will,” Lena purred. As she was walking away, having handed over five crisp hundred dollar bills much to Maggie’s surprise, Lena called over her shoulder, “Oh, and, Alex, dear? Next time anyone asks if you’ve been caught, you’ll need to drink.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Sanvers smut to get you through the end of the week

Maggie’s week passed by in a blur. Theoretically, she understood that she worked much longer days as a cop and a detective than she did as a professor, but that knowledge didn’t stop her from feeling drained at the end of each day, guilty about the students who had cried in her office, insisting that she was their last hope of getting into med school or staying on scholarship but also tired of the mumbled excuses she received when she asked they why they didn’t come to her after the first B or C or D, why they waited until the day before their final exam. She thanked whatever deity might be out there for her years of training in emotional control when a student scoffed, “You’re a new professor, and new professors never fail anyone,” and she didn’t just snap at him to get the hell out of her office. Instead, she finished her meeting with him and stalked down the hall to Alex’s office.

She waited awkwardly outside as Alex finished a meeting one of her own students, then cut in before Alex could get immersed in reading or grading again. She shut the door and threw herself into one of the chairs in front of the other woman’s desk. “Alex,” Maggie whined.

“Yes, dear?”

“Help me.”

“How? Do you also desperately need some extra credit one day before the semester ends? Because I’ll tell you the same thing I told all of them: I’m not grading anything more than the exam you’re taking this week.”

“Well…do you think maybe there’s another kind of assignment I could do for you? Maybe an oral exam?” Maggie gave a cheeky wink, to which Alex just laughed softly.

“In all my years here, I’ve never gotten that one before.”

“Eh, you’re probably too intimidating. Not that it’s a bad thing. But it’s not like they don’t think you’re hot.”

“Excuse me?” Alex balked.

“I mean, have you seen your Rate My Professor reviews? Literally all of them checked off the chili pepper for hotness.”

“That seems rather demeaning.”

“If it makes you feel any better, the male professors get them too.”

“A little… But still. They are children!”

“Al, some of them are only seven or eight years younger than you. Need I remind you that you think Cat Grant, who is at least 15 years older than you, is hot?”

“That’s completely different.”

“Is it? She’s your boss. Same power dynamics.”

Alex shrugged it off. “You come in here just to tell me I’m hot, or did you have an actual question?”

“Right. Can I come over tonight?”

“Uh, sure.” Alex didn’t quite expect that to be the urgent question. 

“Thanks! I just, it’s been a long week. I think it’s starting to get to me, and there’s nothing I want more than to have you under me.”

Alex took a deep breath, willing herself not to get turned on at work. “Yes, well, that is something we will do at my place. Not here. Also, I want to do some grading tonight. I’m giving my last exam in an hour, then heading home early, so I’ll try to get as much done as I can before you get there.”

“Great! I did all of my laundry for going home already, so I just need to throw some stuff in a suitcase. My students of course got slotted with the very last day of exams, so maybe we could do lunch, then you can come back to my place and help me pack?”

“Let’s see how much work we get done?” Alex suggested, not wanting to say no but also not wanting to drag stacks and stacks of papers on the plane with her.

“Fair enough. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your work. Have fun in the exam!”

“Oh, thanks.”

\---

By the time the exam rolled around, Alex felt good about the amount she had gotten done. She had finished the last of her grading for the senior astrobiology seminar, so now she just had the exams from Tuesday to grade, plus the final lab reports and today’s exam for her intro-level students. She had grumbled about not having a TA to help with the Intro to Bio class until J’onn reminded her that she only had one of the five sections, which had been divvied up among the faculty. At least she had grad students who were being paid to monitor the exam. She was just there to answer any questions students might have about the instructions, though of course, she always had a brave few who thought they could trick her into answering the question for them or telling them how to get started.

Once the exam began, Alex did a lap around the room, confirming that the grad students had already made sure all phones and bags were at the front of the room, before settling back into the desk in the back with an article to read and her phone to watch the time. 

Deciding to tease Maggie just a bit for being stuck with exams through the next day, Alex texted, “My last section is taking exams now. Countdown to break begins in T-2 hours. Suck it, Sawyer.”

“Gladly, Danvers. Just specify whether it’s your clit or your nipples you want sucked.”

Alex blushed, suddenly very glad to be sitting in the back row where none of her students could see her, and sent back: “I am proctoring an exam!”

“Not doing a great job of it if you’re on your phone…”

“Ok, fine, grad students are doing the work. But I am in an exam room full of nervous students.”

“Oh, gotcha. You can’t control yourself. Noted.” Maggie knew the taunting would get a rise out of Alex, which is exactly what she wanted. She had blocked off this time to grade in peace, but she didn’t mind multitasking. 

“I can too.”

“Really? Then why are you so scared about texting with me?”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“You fucked me in the backseat of my car in the parking lot behind your little sister’s apartment. I think that’s more inappropriate than just texting your girlfriend in class.”

Alex fought the blush creeping up her cheeks. “You still owe me for that night.”

“I offered to drive us down the road.”

“I was not going to have sex in another parking lot!”

“Didn’t see you complaining earlier…”

“Whatever. I don’t like being caught.”

“Eh, I sort of like it. Maybe not by family, but it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

“Some sort of exhibitionist?”

“You might just call me a risk-taker. Something hot about it.”

“Oh really?” Alex wondered how much she should play along. As it stood now, they were really just texting. Not particularly innocent things, but nothing compared to what she’d done before. She decided to take the risk today. “Where would you want to take me?”

“Mmm, I like that you’re playing along. Maybe we’re in a club or a bar. Dancing so close together, so packed onto the floor that no one can tell what’s dancing and what’s fucking. It’d be loud enough that you could make noise too.”

“Eh, I guess.”

“Not your thing?”

“I think I’ve already done that a few too many times.”

“Okay and moving on.”

“But maybe…my office.”

“Yeah? You’d let me fuck you on your desk?”

“I’d let you fuck me on *your* desk, but if we’re in my office, I think I want you on your knees.”

“Yeah? I might do that for you…with the right incentives.”

“My pussy isn’t enough for you anymore?”

Maggie groaned audibly. “You know it’s enough. But I want you to have been thinking about it all day. I want you to be wet already. And wearing nothing under some tight skirt. Like what Cat Grant wears.”

Alex gulped. “You think she’s not wearing anything under them?”

“I don’t see any lines…”

Alex shook her head; she was supposed to be sexting her girlfriend. No, actually she was supposed to be proctoring an exam, but they were too engrossed to even notice her. “But okay, yeah, so wearing nothing all day, thinking of you, making sure I’m wet for you.”

“Mhmm. And then I’d come into your office late in the evening, after almost everyone has gone home.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, and I’d shut your door. Not lock it. We still want some danger, don’t we?”

“I guess. I’d be nervous. But I’d want you too much to stop you.”

“I wouldn’t say a word. I’d just motion for you to be quiet. Walk over to your desk slowly. Purposefully. I’d push your chair back a little and drop down onto my knees. Push your skirt up and see if you were wet enough for me. Would you be?”

Alex bit her lip hard to keep from making a noise when Maggie’s latest text popped up. “Oh yeah. I’d be dripping for you. All day I’d have been thinking about you. About what you wanted from me.”

“You’re such a good girl. And I’d tell you that over and over, then even more with my tongue. I’d lap up and down your dripping cunt, drinking you in. And I’d want to make you wait, make you beg, but you’d tell me we need to be done soon. That you have a meeting in just a few minutes and need to be done before then. So I’d take your clit in my mouth and suck and flick it with my tongue, letting my nails rake up and down your thighs. And would you come for me, baby?”

Alex had gotten distracted while she waited for the response, momentarily engrossed in the article she was reading. Then a student had a question, which she answered as best as she could without giving any answers away. When he turned to walk back to his desk, Alex flipped over her phone and saw the message from Maggie. She fumbled her phone in suddenly clumsy fingers, dropping it and watching helplessly as it slid a few feet away. She darted forward and retrieved it, directing a small apologetic wave at the class, most of whom were too concerned with their exams to even look back at her.

By the time Alex looked back at her phone, there was a second message: “Fuck, I’m sorry. Was that too much? I’ll stop.”

“No!” Alex quickly sent. Then she added, “You made me drop my phone. And a student had a question. But I’m here, I promise. And yeah, I’d come for you.”

Maggie breathed a long sigh of relief, glad that Alex wasn’t angry. She laughed at the mental image she had conjured of Alex, her cheeks bright red, diving across the room for her phone. She wondered if Alex would appreciate an ever-more daring scenario. “You’d come for me, okay. But would you come fast enough? Would you come before Cat Grant got to your office for your annual review?”

“She doesn’t do annual reviews.”

“Oh my god, Al. Seriously? Play along. Would you really rather it be Hank?”

“Oh. No. Definitely not. Okay, sorry. You tell me, would I come fast enough?”

“I think she’d see your closed door and wonder if you weren’t back to your office yet. She’d lean in closer before she knocks, just to see if she can’t hear anything. And I know you. I think she would hear something. I think she’d hear you panting and moaning, your breath ragged. You’d be such a good girl, trying to stay quiet, but I know how you are right before you come.”

“Yeah? So what does Cat do then? Do we get caught and fired?”

“Alex…be fun for a minute, kay?”

“Sorry!”

“I think right before she knocks she’d hear you let out that little cry you do right when you come. And she’d know that noise anywhere. She knows that noise from long nights of making other women make that noise. And she’d wonder: were you alone? Were you with someone?”

“So what does she do?”

“She’s very professional, so she knocks.”

“And I have a panic attack?”

“You get anxious, but you’re a little too blissed out to panic completely. So you shove me under your desk. You’ve got that wood panel that would hide me, right?”

“Right. Would you stay quiet?”

“I think I would. But I might not keep my hands to myself. Would you stay quiet?”

Alex could feel how wet she was and wondered if she should really stop, put an end to this. She was a professor for god’s sake. She should be better, be above all this. Then again, she had just learned that her students were ranking her attractiveness on some website available to the whole world, so perhaps she didn’t need to be as concerned. Perhaps she deserved this moment of risk-taking, of being a little more like Maggie. “I’d try. But I’d probably kick you, tbh.”

“I see. So maybe I won’t touch you too much. But you call Cat in, right? Can’t leave the Dean waiting.”

“No, of course not. I’d straighten my skirt and wonder if I smell like sex. But I’d call her in anyway, act like I had just lost track of time.”

“Would she let on that she knows? That she just heard you come?”

“Not in any obvious way. But she’d have that look, do you know the one? The pursed lips, slightly furrowed brow look. The one that says that she knows something and you’d better watch what you say. That look that suggests that in another life she’s a wildly successful reporter.”

“I think I caught a glimpse of it once. So you’re nervous now. Does she just do your review?”

“Oh yeah, a consummate professional. We do the whole thing, you sitting under my desk for half an hour, but then she gets up to leave, and we think we’ve made it. But when she gets to my door, she shuts it, still on the inside. She says something that’s just so Cat, like, ‘Now, Dr. Danvers, I do have one more question.’”

“Mm, but you know she’d be so concerned about liability, she’d throw in there something like, ‘Of course, you should known that you’re not required to answer. We’re both done with work hours now, and your response won’t affect your job in any way.’”

Alex bites back a laugh because that is absolutely something Cat would say if she were to ever hit on an employee. “So now what’s her question?”

“Oh I don’t know. She’d ask something about the noise she heard. Her voice would get lower as she stalked back over to your desk. Maybe she wants to know if you needed something. Or no! She asks if you wanted her to hear you, if you waited until then on the off chance that she’d be by early.”

“Maybe she’d ask if I felt I was receiving enough support from the administration. If there was something she could personally do to help me, after all, I’m such an asset to the university.”

“You flatter yourself, Danvers. But what do you say? Do you let her help you? Or do you help her?”

“I sort of doubt that she’d fuck me. Does that make sense?”

“Oh for sure. Power bottom, no doubt. She’d get on your desk and have you fuck her while she told you how to do it.”

“Fuck that’d be hot. Do you think she would ever do that at work? On her big desk?”

“I don’t know, but she can do it right here,” Maggie reminded Alex.

“Right! Um, do I say yes? What do I do with you??”

“Do you want me to have to listen to you fuck someone else? I’d be jealous, but she is on your list. Or do you want me to join?”

Alex blushed scarlet and put her phone down, taking a moment to compose herself. She decided to do a lap around the classroom. On her second loop around the room, one of the grad students grabbed her. He looked familiar, but Alex knew she hadn’t taught him. “You know that you don’t have to do this, right? A lot of the senior professors just leave after the first ten minutes.”

“I know, don’t worry. I was just getting a little stiff, wanted to stretch or something. Plus, I don’t like to encourage the dismissive types. It’s good for the students to see that a professor cares enough to answer any real questions they might have, even if I can’t help with what they’re most concerned about.”

“Okay, cool. I just wanted to make sure you know that we are watching for any cheating. Wouldn’t let it get past us! Also, that’s, I don’t know, really great of you to care so much about them. It’s inspiring.”

Alex colored at the kind words and murmured a quiet thanks as she headed back to her desk, her mind racing back to the last text from Maggie. She still didn’t have an answer. So she sent back: “I don’t know. What do you want?”

“I think the question here is what Cat Grant wants. Do you think she’d be willing to share?”

“Maybe? Probably not. But maybe she wouldn’t mind hearing me come again without doing any of the work.”

“So you tell her that you had someone helping you from the Department, but maybe it would be nice to work with the administration moving forward.”

“And I’d pull you out from under my desk. You’d be a little stiff, but you’d still look hot. Because you always look hot. Maybe it would’ve been hot under there, so you’d be in just your bra and dress pants. Showing off those washboard abs of yours.”

“Think Cat wants to lick them?” Maggie asked.

“I’m sure she’d like that.”

“But I think she’d want you to fuck her. After all, you’re the one that she propositioned.”

“So what do you do?” Alex asked.

“Maybe she lets me fuck you while you fuck her. I think she’d watch us for a little first, you know, making sure we were up to her standards. We’d lock the door for her. There are different kinds of risks involved here.”

“Mhmm. You’d kiss me hard, and I’d moan because you still taste like me.”

“Maybe she’d ask us to tell her what we were doing when she overheard us, and you’d let me narrate because you like it when I talk dirty. Maybe you start to touch Cat while I talk to her, slipping off her blazer and sliding your hands up her blouse.”

“I think she’d get up on my desk pretty quickly, wanting to show us she was still in charge. Would you be okay with that? Her being in charge?”

“I could try. But I’d want her to know that you’re still mine, that I’m letting you fuck her. Of course you’re your own person and it’s totally your choice! I just mean, like, we’re both each other’s. But we were letting her into this thing between us, letting her experience you. You know?”

“I got you, don’t worry, Mags.”

“Right, okay. But maybe I’d still give you some orders, make sure she saw that what she had was temporary.”

“I don’t think she’d like that.”

“Probably not,” Maggie conceded, “but I bet once you start fucking her she’ll stop caring really fast.”

“Will I fuck her on my desk?”

“Yeah, I think you’ll be leaning over to lick her pussy, your fingers deep inside of her. And I’ll be behind you, fucking you from behind, making you whimper into her.”

“But she’ll want me to have all of my attention on her.”

“She’ll probably pull your hair a little, keep dragging your attention back to her. And she’d definitely bark orders at you. Would you like that, Al? Do you want two people telling you what to do?”

“Mhm.” Alex couldn’t manage more, couldn’t seem to get her fingers to keep time with her racing thoughts.

“I’m behind you telling you that you need to wait for my orders to come. She’s under you telling you exactly what to do with your tongue, your fingers. Do you think she’s loud when she comes? Do you think you could make it through the noises she makes without coming yourself, or would you beg for permission? I bet you’d fucking soak my hand.”

Trying desperately not to gasp at Maggie’s latest text, Alex bit down so hard on her cheek she could taste blood. She could feel how uncomfortably wet she was and didn’t know if she could even manage a reply.

After a few minutes of radio silence, Maggie sent, “Do you need us to stop?”

“I think so. Not that I don’t want to, but I think I’m a text or two away from coming, regardless of whether or not I touch myself.”

“Fuck, Danvers. Do you know how fucking hot that is?”

“Okay, yeah, you definitely need to stop. I can feel how wet I am through my pants.”

“Oh my god. You’re amazing and wonderful and perfect. I’ll stop. I can’t wait to see you at your place tonight.”

\---

“Honey, I’m home!” Maggie called playfully from the doorway of Alex’s apartment.

“Hey, Mags!” Alex yelled back from the couch, where she sat, pen in one hand, coffee cup in the other, papers stacked high in front of her. “How was the rest of your day?”

“Unproductive. So fucking unproductive.”

“Why?” Alex asked.

“Really? Is that a question? Were you able to recover from our texting that quickly? If we’re being honest, I sort of expected to already have you up against a wall, pants around your ankles.”

Alex smiled wickedly. “Oh, that. Well, I took care of myself when I got home. Now I’m grading.”

Maggie looked crestfallen. Then she pouted, whining, “You didn’t wait for me?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No…sort of. I mean, I thought maybe I could help.”

“I mean, I already took care of myself so many times…”

Maggie whimpered loudly, dropping her bags to the floor. “Al, please? At least tell me about it.”

“I got home and went straight to my bedroom, into my drawer. And I read through our texts, fucking myself over and over again until I felt like I could finally concentrate on something.”

Maggie’s eyes were wide, pupils blown. “You, uh, you sure you don’t need anything else?”

“Are you offering?”

Maggie nodded quickly, rushing over to the couch.

“Now, do you really want to help me, or do you just want to get off?”

“Don’t see why I can’t do both,” Maggie smirked. 

“If you let me finish grading first…” Alex trailed off.

Eyeing the comically large stack of ungraded exams, Maggie shook her head. “I bet after this afternoon it’ll only take you a minute to come. Right? And then you can leave me to my own devices, I suppose. I’ll just go fuck myself alone in your room. Or here on your couch? You got so much work done last time I did that.”

Alex growled as she pulled Maggie into her, guiding Maggie’s fingers under her pajama pants. Maggie groaned when she felt how wet Alex still was. “Did you really take care of yourself, Al?”

“I did.” 

“And you’re still this wet?”

“I liked our texts. A lot.”

“Anything in particular? Was it Cat? Was it the fact that there was a third person?”

“I don’t know. Just, everything. I just wanted you so much. And, yeah, okay, Cat Grant got so much hotter to me once we started fantasizing about her. Is that weird? Are we being weird by putting her into our sexual games?”

“Do you still respect her?”

“Oh my god, yes. She still intimidates me.”

“Are you going to go telling people that we’re doing this?”

“No!” Alex gasped.

“Then I think we’re okay. I mean, we don’t have to do it all of the time, but it was nice to have a real person in the scenario, rather than some random faceless idea of a person.”

“Yeah…I agree.”

“Why are we still talking?” Maggie asked, roughly pushing Alex back into the couch as she pulled Alex’s pants down.

“I don’t know. Just fuck me.”

Maggie dropped down in front of Alex, licking her tongue up the length of Alex’s pussy, groaning in appreciation. “You taste so good, baby.”

Alex whimpered, grinding her hips against Maggie’s face, desperate for more. “Please fuck me too. With your hands.”

Maggie quickly complied, slipping two fingers inside of Alex. She threw the redhead’s legs over her shoulders for easier access, continuing to suck and lap at Alex’s clit as she fucked her harder and harder. 

“Please don’t stop. I’m gonna, gonna come, please,” Alex whimpered, already so close. And Maggie was good and perfect and didn’t stop, didn’t slow down, didn’t hesitate. Soon Alex was tumbling over the edge, her vision flashing white as her whole body shook.

“Do you need something?” Alex asked as she regained her composure. 

Maggie just nodded silently before scooping Alex up and carrying her off to the bedroom.


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy #NotMyPresident's Day Weekend! We're off to Blue Springs, Nebraska!
> 
> *Note, I wrote all of this before episode 2x13, so it is not canon compliant. Also, I think too many of us have dealt with homophobic families to need yet another depiction of how shitty people can be. My decision not to go back and change what I wrote is certainly not meant to minimize Maggie's experience at all.

By the time the day of their flight to Blue Springs rolled around, Alex was a nervous wreck. She had already called Kara three times, packed and re-packed her suitcase twice, and nearly set off the smoke alarms once, ending up with some very well-done waffles. It was the first day of break, and she had never been quite so stressed—not even her first semester of teaching when she’d put off grading until all of the exams were done and been stuck marking up tests and lab reports until 3am every day until grades were due. 

She was pulled from her panic by a knock at the door. Maggie. Of course she’d be early today.

“Danvers!” Maggie greeted her with a kiss before pulling back to assess the situation. “You’re in pajama pants. Those your travel clothes?”

“No,” Alex replied, her voice nearly a whisper. “What do I wear, Mags? What if they don’t like me? Maybe I shouldn’t go. I’ve definitely forgotten things. I should probably stay here and grade instead, you know?”

“Alex, Al, please listen to me.” Maggie led Alex back to the couch. “We still have an hour before we have to leave for the airport, so we can go through some packing lists. Some methodical list-checking always helps, right? I’ll help you find a nice comfy outfit for the flight. Maybe we can make a playlist of some of your favorite songs to listen to. I’ll even let you throw on that old punk rock stuff you like. My parents are going to like you. My mom will have you in a hug before you can even say hello, and my dad, well, he’s quiet and gruff, but he’ll be happy to see me happy. Promise.”

Alex’s lips twitched as she considered the offer. Eventually she gave a small nod and burrowed her head into Maggie’s neck, allowing herself a moment of comfort before she faced off with her suitcase for round three. 

After going through everything Alex packed, including the small presents she wouldn’t let Maggie touch, Maggie concluded that she was ready. “Other than a thicker winter coat than you would possibly own out in California, I think you’re fine, Al. You’re packed. You’re dressed. You’ve got your music ready. Is there anything else you need?”

Alex dragged Maggie into her for a kiss, hoping her girlfriend’s lips might chase away the lingering traces of anxiety and doubts about the trip that were still haunting her thoughts. It didn’t quite work, but it would have to do. 

By the time Alex was getting off the plane, she could feel her heart racing, and she wondered how mad Maggie would be if she called Kara for a quick ride back to National City. She nearly clawed at Maggie’s hand when the other woman reached out to her, trying to assuage her fears.

“Mags, I’m serious, what if they don’t like me? It’s a real possibility. I’ve been told that I’m not always entirely likable. That’s more Kara’s thing than mine, you know?”

“Alex, babe, they’re going to love you because you’re good to me and you make me happy. Plus, you’re brilliant and beautiful. What’s not to like?” Without giving Alex a chance to list all of the things about herself that perhaps someone wouldn’t like, Maggie pulled her over to the baggage claim area where she promptly found their suitcases—too promptly for Alex’s liking—and dragged them over to a bench. “Look around, Danvers. Do you see a couple of brown-skinned people? It’s Nebraska; they’re gonna stand out.”

Alex tried to find them among the crowds of people picking up family and friends for the holidays, but she didn’t see them yet. Maggie pulled out her phone and, after listening to her voicemail, pulled Alex away from baggage claim to a far quieter area near a few food vendors where Alex finally spotted Maggie’s parents.

Maggie’s father held a sign that read, “Maggie and Alex,” halfheartedly; it wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy seeing his daughter, but he really didn’t think signs were necessary in the days of cell phones. Tina, however, was enthusiastically waving at the two women even though her arms were full. 

Maggie hiked her duffle bag over her shoulder and grabbed Alex’s suitcase, refusing to let her do any more work, as they made their way over to her parents. 

“Ma!” Maggie cried, sweeping her mother into a hug. No matter how annoyed she could get at the woman over the phone, she had to admit that it was nice to see her again. Finally breaking apart, Tina held her arms open as she flashed a large smile at Alex. With a nudge from Maggie, Alex awkwardly shuffled forward, feeling Tina’s arms pull her into a bear hug.

Seeing Alex’s shock, Maggie pulled her mom back to her side after a few seconds. “I think we’re still both a little off from the flight. And maybe a little hungry.” She grinned at her mother, knowing that unless something awful had happened to the kitchen, her mother always came bearing snacks. 

“Right! How could I have forgotten?” Tina began unloading her arms, doling out bags of homemade cookies and sandwiches and heavy winter coats. “I figured coming from California, you girls might not have warm enough coats. Also, here are some hats and gloves. Now bundle up, girls, it’s a balmy 16 degrees out!”

Alex blanched. She had been annoyed by the 45-degree weather—what Kara affectionately termed, “California cold.” Sure, it was colder in Midvale too, but she only made it home a few days a year; she’d gotten to be a California girl—something that her wardrobe reflected. 

Maggie threw an arm around Alex, kissing her cheek. “We’ll find ways to keep you warm, Danvers.” She chuckled at Alex’s flushed face, shrugging on her old coat before pulling a hat and gloves on. Alex quickly copied the motions, figuring she was as ready as she would ever be for the cold and the waiting conversation with the parents. 

“Can I take your bags?” Maggie’s dad offered as he shuffled back into view.

Maggie hit herself on the forehead. “Shit, sorry! Dad, this is Alex Danvers, Alex, this is my dad, Mateo.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Sawyer,” Alex quickly chimed in, reaching out a hand.

Mateo nodded at Alex, reaching a hand out to grasp hers. Despite the formality of the handshake and the gruffness of his voice, he added, “You can call me Mateo. I’m glad you were able to make it out here.”

During the ride back to Blue Springs, Tina began her questioning of Alex, asking all about her job and family and hobbies. Eventually Alex gave up on trying to eat the homemade lunch, having been caught off-guard by a question when she had her mouth full one too many times. When Maggie finished eating, she pushed Alex’s own lunch back at her, intent on keeping her mom’s attention elsewhere to give Alex a chance to eat. 

“What do you have planned for us today, Ma?”

“Oh! Well, I was going to make it a surprise, but your dad thought that I should tell you in advance. Tonight I’m making your favorite lasagna!”

“Okay…” Maggie was suspicious. “Why do I need a warning about you making my favorite meal?”

“Because you’ll be enjoying that meal with some of your aunts and uncles and cousins, Maggie,” Mateo interjected. 

Alex’s eyes widened. She knew that she would be meeting the whole family, but she had assumed she would have a few days to settle in first. Maggie could feel the panic radiating off Alex’s skin. “Ma! We’re gonna be jetlagged and exhausted. Plus, you know we both still have grading to do. Maybe something you want to give a heads up about?”

“Margherita,” Tina snapped, suddenly speaking in a voice that Alex assumed Maggie had heard a lot during her rebellious teenage years. “Your family has missed you quite a bit in your long leave of absence. There will be plenty of time for you to nap and unpack before they get to the house, and you will have time to grade tomorrow. Well, after brunch. Some of the family can’t make it today, but they didn’t want to miss out on their chance!”

Maggie rolled her eyes and stroked her fingers across the back of Alex’s hand. “Alright, alright. I’ll be nice. It just would’ve been nicer to get some warning.”

“Your father already gave you some warning.”

“A little more next time, Ma,” Maggie teased. 

Eventually they pulled into a long dirt driveway that led to a large house set a ways back from the road. The house was surrounded by a fair amount of property, though Alex couldn’t be sure if any of it was farmland, as all of it was currently coated in a thick blanket of snow. It was a rather beautiful landscape though, the pine trees lining the driveway glistening with frozen ice crystal and miles of relatively flat snowy expanses as far as the eye could see, dotted with picturesque homes.

Maggie let out a small noise of delight when she saw all of the snow. Sure, she didn’t mind the beautiful California sun, but she had missed this—even the cold was worth it when it brought mountains of fluffy snow. 

“I am 100% going to kick your ass in a snowball fight!” Maggie challenged.

Just as Tina snapped, “Language!” Alex laughed, “Bring it, Sawyer.”

“At least let Alex change first,” Mateo added, always the voice of reason. “Don’t need her getting sick out here in the cold.”

“Fine,” Maggie conceded.

Stepping out into the cold, Alex was relieved at the idea of having some time to get used to the weather before she went outside to get even colder. She had started to notice it at the airport, but here she could feel the chill seeping into her bones on their walk from the driveway to the front door. 

As if she could tell, when they got inside Maggie called out, “Anyone want something hot to drink? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?”

“Coffee!” they yelled back in general consensus. Maggie nodded, moving to the kitchen as she shed her layers. 

Tina led Alex into the living room, on the way taking her coat, hat, and gloves and showing her where they would be for the next week. She called for her husband to join them, letting Alex settle into the couch, looking only slightly nervous now. They had covered most of the pleasantries in the car. Alex wondered if she was going to get a stern talking to now. Instead, Tina surprised Alex by asking if she wanted to help her prepare for dinner: “Maggie tells me she’s been helping teach you to cook. I thought it might be nice for us to get to know each other a little better. You can help?”

Even if it was phrased as a question, Alex knew that it wasn’t really an option. “Of course. I want to help out around the house as much as I can while I’m here!”

Mateo chuckled—the first laugh Alex had heard from him since her arrival. “Don’t offer something you’ll come to regret. Let’s just leave it at dinner for now.”

Alex sent a small smile his way as she nodded. “Right. Dinner.”

“Everyone will be getting here around 6-6:30. How about you come down at 5, okay dear?”

“Sounds good.” Alex tried to keep her voice even to mask the panic she felt. Sure, she’d gotten used to being someone’s helper in the kitchen, but she hadn’t been tricked into believing she was any good at it. She sort of assumed Maggie let her stay near the stove for the company and small kisses more than for any help she might pretend to offer. 

A few minutes later, Maggie came in carrying a tray weighed down with four steaming mugs and a plate of cookies. “I added some cocoa powder to your coffee,” Maggie whispered to Alex, “I hope that’s okay. It’s my favorite on snowy days.”

“That sounds perfect.” Alex smiled up at her girlfriend, wondering again how she had gotten so lucky. 

It would seem the adoration in her eyes was quite visible, as Tina made a loud “aww” sound before turning to her husband and asking, “Why don’t you look at me like that?”

“I would if you brought me some food,” he teased, earning a light smack on the arm.

They enjoyed the warm beverages and cookies in relative quiet. Catching sight of her daughter’s yawns, Tina asked, “Now that you’re finished, do you want me to show you girls up to the guest room? It looks like everyone could use a few minutes to rest.”

“That’d be great,” Maggie nodded, taking Alex’s hand in hers as she pulled her off the couch. They followed Tina upstairs, Alex taking in the quick tour of the house she was being given, snapping to attention when Tina gestured to Maggie’s childhood room. She wondered if it was still decorated from Maggie’s high school days. What she wouldn’t give…

Finally they were led into the guest bedroom where Mateo had already deposited their luggage. It was a nice room, though clearly intended for guests. Other than a few pictures, the room was somewhat sparse—a far cry from the rest of the house, which had a homey, lived in vibe. 

Maggie flung herself face first into the bed, groaning as she stretched out. She wouldn’t admit it, but flying always made her a little nervous, and she had spent the flight sitting bolt upright, tensed for danger at any second. Getting to stretch and relax for a couple of hours sounded amazing. “Dinner’s at 6, right, Ma?”

“Yes, Maggie. That’s when people will start showing up.” Tina left off the part about Alex helping her for an hour before that, at least for now.

Maggie set an alarm for ten of 6, knowing there was a good chance she would fall asleep. She pushed the door shut and immediately shuffled out of her jeans, pulling on a pair of sweatpants before falling back into the bed. “Alex?” she murmured, her voice muffled in the pillows.

“Yes, dear?” Alex asked, trying to keep the giggle out of her voice.

“Cuddle with me?”

Alex made a noise of assent before hoisting herself into the bed, stroking Maggie’s hair.

“How do you like Nebraska so far?”

“It’s good. Very pretty. Very cold.”

“Yeah…I almost forgot about the cold.” Maggie continued mumbling about home, her voice slowly dropping off as she fended off the sleep that sought to overtake her. Within a few minutes, though, her breathing had evened out. Alex sat like that for a while longer, holding Maggie and running her nails through her long hair. Unlike her girlfriend, Alex had slept through the flight and was now too nervous about her meeting with Tina to fall back asleep. 

Once she was sure that Maggie wouldn’t wake up, Alex carefully moved out from under her and padded over to their luggage, pulling a stack of exams out of her bag to grade. Looking around, she realized that her options were sitting on the floor, which was more than a little cold, or disturbing Maggie by getting back into bed. She decided to make her way back downstairs and hope that there was a room with some sort of table. She soon stumbled into the kitchen, figuring she could sit at the counter rather than using the nice dining room table.

After half an hour of quiet grading, Alex heard a noise behind her and quickly looked over her shoulder. Seeing Mateo standing there, clearing his throat, Alex apologized, “Sorry! I hope I can grade here. I just, Maggie’s asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. But I can leave, if you wanted to use the space.”

Mateo cut off her rambling with a wave of his hand. “No, no. You’re okay, Alex. I just have some reading I’d like to do. Mind if I join you?”

Alex shook her head, moving her piles of papers closer to her side of the counter. “What are you reading?”

He held up a book with a film noir-style cover. “Some thriller. Normally I’d prefer non-fiction, maybe something historical, but Maggie got this for me. It’s based on a case she worked in Gotham.”

Alex nodded, biting her lip. Even though Maggie had clearly made it through her years as an officer and a detective alive, Alex could still feel pangs of worry shoot through her at the idea of what Maggie might have gone through. 

“Glad she’s a professor now too, huh?” Mateo observed.

“Oh…yeah. That obvious?”

“It takes a parent to know the look.”

“Right. Anyway…I’ll let you get back to your book.”

They drifted into a comfortable silence, sitting side-by-side as Alex made her way through the stack of exams in front of her and Mateo grew increasingly interested in the novel, trying to ignore the reminder that his only daughter had been there, had been so close to the monster who could torture and kill people seemingly without remorse.

A little before 5, Tina headed down to the kitchen to start preparing things for dinner. As she walked through the doorway she froze, catching sight of her husband and Alex sitting together, heads bowed in a similar way as they both pored over the text in front of them. Trying to stay quiet, Tina pulled her phone out of her pocket and took a picture of the moment, knowing that as soon as she walked in, the spell would be broken. As much as she wanted to let it last, she also needed to get to work on her lasagna, and in her house, food came first. Deciding she would let them know she was there, Tina began humming a familiar tune as she made her way much more noisily into the kitchen. 

Alex’s head snapped up from her work. “I’m so sorry! I lost track of time. Here I’ll clear this all out of your way.”

In a soothing voice, Tina comforted her: “Honey, I’m early. You’re okay. You probably do want to move the papers unless your students are okay with marinara-flavored grades.”

“They’ve gotten back coffee-stained papers a few too many times…I’ll move these.” She left off the story about that one batch of lab reports she’d had to reprint entirely after knocking a bottle of bourbon over next to them. In her defense, it had been a bad week: Kara had come out as Supergirl to save her life after she nearly died; her mother had called to scream at her about the development; she’d had two papers rejected from journals; and some man had called her a dyke when she turned him down. She deserved the drinks. But her students also deserved papers that didn’t smell like the floor of a bar. 

A few minutes later she made her way back to the kitchen, having dropped her papers back up in the bedroom. Mateo was gone again, leaving Alex alone with Tina. It was fine for quite some time, just Tina calling out instructions to Alex. She had never been quite so grateful for all of Maggie’s lessons now that she was able to understand almost all of Tina’s instructions. Once they were both set up with rather mindless tasks, though, Tina let the conversation switch from food to Alex and Maggie. 

“So, you and my daughter. First, let me put it out there, I’m thrilled to have you here. I’m also thrilled to have Maggie here. She’s happy too. With you. She looks at you in a way I’ve never seen her look at anyone before. But because of that, I need to ask: Are you serious about her?”

“I am. I really am.”

“Then why the wait? Why did my dear Margherita begin speaking in such glowing terms of a Professor Alex Danvers so long before she ostensibly began dating the woman?”

“Er.” Alex hesitated. She wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Were you seeing another woman?”

“No! No, I would never cheat on anyone. It’s more that, um, well, there wouldn’t have been another woman yet. Because I wasn’t as brave as your daughter. It was easier to pretend that I just didn’t have the time or patience to find the right guy than admit that I would never find the right guy because I wasn’t looking for a man at all.”

“But you are…you are looking for a woman?” Tina knew the questions sounded intrusive, but she had seen Maggie have her heart broken by too many women who were “just visiting,” as Maggie put it, during high school and college to not be wary.

“I am. But it took a lot of conversations with your daughter and an old friend of mine from high school to be able to admit it to myself. And then to others, to my friends and family.”

“And they were supportive?”

“Yes. They were better than I ever was with myself.”

Tina nodded her head, contented with the answer. 

“But I needed to do so much of that before I could make the first step with Maggie. I think I knew from the moment I met her…well, maybe not the first moment, but soon, that I was already falling for her. But she deserved better than some closeted 30-year-old.”

“That isn’t you anymore?”

“No. I’m happy with her and proud of the woman I am, Mrs. Sawyer. Proud of the woman your daughter helped me to become.”

Tina smiled. She was proud of her daughter too. She had watched the girl go through hell coming out in a small town in the days long before same-sex marriage was the law of the land. “It’s still Tina, hon.”

“Right,” Alex nodded.

“Now, I have to ask: what are your intentions with my daughter?”

Maggie, having finally stumbled down the stairs, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, almost snapped. But then she thought better of it, assumed Alex would kill her because of course Alex would feel some sense of duty to subject herself to the parental interrogation ritual. 

Alex blanched. “I don’t plan on hurting her or leaving her. She means more to me than I’d ever thought was possible. And I don’t ever want to lose her.” 

Maggie knew she shouldn’t be listening in, listening when Alex had no idea she could hear. But she couldn’t bring herself to move away just yet. Tears glistened in her eyes at Alex’s words, knowing she felt the same way, even if they both left those feelings unexpressed for now.

“So you love her?” Tina asked, in her usual blunt fashion.

Alex colored but, after a moment, nodded. Very quietly she replied, “I think I do. Not that I’ve told her. It’s early, you know? Too early for that. Too early to be entertaining hopes that I’d mock anyone else for having only two months into a relationship.”

“So a wedding? Am I going to be a grandmother? Maggie never left me much hope there.”

Alex let out a barking laugh. “That might be moving a little far ahead. Not that I don’t think about some of those things with your daughter…well into the future. But I, uh, I don’t know about others.”

“Oh, you and my little Margherita are made for each other, aren’t you?”

“Sorry, but I don’t know that I understand.”

“Let me guess. You think you’ll make an excellent aunt. A willing babysitter. You love teaching and getting to play some formative role in a young person’s life. But you’re not particularly keen on being a mother.”

Alex paled. Those were precisely her thoughts on the subject, though she might change “willing babysitter” to “sometimes willing babysitter.” But she wasn’t sure what Tina wanted to hear. “Umm, I think, I don’t know. Maybe those are conversations that I’d have later. You know, with Maggie, way later.”

“Right, right. You’ll get us a grandpuppy, yes?”

“That I can promise,” Alex beamed, not even thinking about the fact that she had essentially promised Tina a long future in which she would become her daughter-in-law and adopt dogs with Maggie.

Maggie quietly tiptoed back into the bathroom, splashing cold water in her face to get rid of the stubborn tears that had refused to vanish. When she was sure she could feign ignorance, she noisily made her way into the kitchen. “Need any help?” she called.

“Good of you to join us, Margherita. Your girlfriend here was nice enough to help me cook dinner.”

“You told me you didn’t need me until 6,” Maggie whined.

“It’s fine,” Alex shook her head, “you were exhausted. How’d you sleep?”

“Not as well as I do when you’re sleeping next to me.” Maggie wrapped her arms around the bright red Alex, holding her close, trying to pour all of her pent-up emotions from Alex’s words into the embrace.

“Let go of your girlfriend and go set the table. Alex already helped with all of the food.”

Maggie let out a laugh in disbelief. “Oh really? And she was helpful?”

“Yes. You’d be surprised how well she does with some instructions from a good chef.” Maggie just shook her head before grabbing plates and cutlery to set the table.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More time with the Sawyers 
> 
> TW: very brief mentions of racism and potential homophobia

As Alex was getting salad dressing out of the fridge, she heard a loud commotion from the front door. Fighting off her first instinct of grabbing something to attack the intruder with, Alex took deep breaths, understanding in theory that some people had extended families with whom they were close, family members who would simply let themselves in without a second thought. Sure enough, a small boy came flying through the kitchen, flinging himself into Maggie’s legs as he shrieked, “Maggie!”

Maggie bent down and scooped the small boy up in her arms, twirling him around. “Ry! Buddy! How ya doing?”

He wrapped his little arms around Maggie’s neck, pulling her in closer as he whispered, “I’m sick, shh!”

Maggie rolled her eyes, prying the small boy away from her a little. “What do you mean you’re sick? You germy?” she teased, tickling him.

“No!! Mommy says I’m fine now. I had to drink pink stuff everyday though, and it didn’t taste like bubble gum.”

“No…it never does, bud. But I’m glad you’re better.”

“Yeah. Me too. Now Jake can come over and play tomorrow. Mom said he couldn’t come if I was still sick. But now I’m better!”

“Very cool. Do you wanna meet my friend?”

“Yeah!” he yelled back, clambering out of Maggie’s arms and down to the ground. He looked around the room for a while until his eyes met Alex’s.

Maggie nudged him forward. “Ryan, this is Alex. Alex, this is Ryan, my dad’s brother’s youngest.”

Alex nodded, mentally trying to remember the family tree and remember which family was on Maggie’s dad’s side. She gave a small wave in Ryan’s direction. “Hey there, Ryan. Nice to meet you.”

Maggie bit back a laugh at Alex’s formality with the hyperactive 6-year-old. Ryan seemed unperturbed by Alex’s stiffness, wrapping his arms around her legs as he pulled her in for a hug. He was always so affectionate, even more so than his older brother who had always been Maggie’s favorite. 

By this time, the rest of the family had filtered in, Maggie’s aunt smiling at the sight of her youngest wrapped around the newcomer’s legs. “Ry!” she yelled out, “Let her breathe right? She doesn’t need your germs.”

Alex blanched. Was the kid sick? He looked okay, but now she was nervous. She patted him lightly on the head, hoping to find a non-awkward way of ending their hug until she could get more details on this illness. It wasn’t that she was a germophobe except, well, yeah she was. And there was nothing wrong with it! She studied biology. She knew how easily germs could kill. Also, she hated being sick, hated how unproductive she was forced to become for a few days, left alone with her rambling thoughts and aches and pains. 

Ryan scampered off as quickly as he had come, and Maggie dragged her over to meet the rest of the family. The other two children were older, maybe even old enough to balk at being called children, Alex thought. Julia was almost out of high school already, and Andrés was a freshman in high school this year. Maggie’s aunt and uncle had embraced her like family and asked her the typical questions: where was she from? How was she liking Blue Springs so far? What did she do? How long had she and Maggie been together? Maggie eventually stopped them, knowing two more families were still due to arrive and that Alex would be forced to answer the questions again and again unless they waited for everyone. 

When Alex had a moment alone, she grabbed Maggie, dragging her toward the stairs. “Woah, tiger, I mean, if you’re ready, I am too. But maybe we should wait until our absence will be less obvious?” 

“What? No! Maggie! No, I wanted to ask what the hell Ryan has. His mom said he was germy.”

Maggie laughed, “You afraid of germs, Danvers?”

“It’s a perfectly reasonable fear.”

“Okay, whatever you say. But he’s on antibiotics, so he’s not contagious anymore.”

“But what about his family? They might be incubating it, which would make them very contagious depending on the particular bug. Or what if it’s viral? Then his medicine wouldn’t actually be doing anything to keep us safe. Maybe he had more than one thing?”

“Al, please relax.”

Alex fought the urge to snap at Maggie, knowing that Maggie’s parents house, which was currently filling with Maggie’s extended family, wasn’t a good place to have their first real fight. She knew the honeymoon period couldn’t last forever, but she also knew this was neither the time nor the place to have it end. So she shut her mouth and nodded curtly, walking back into the kitchen. Maggie could tell she’d have to deal with the aftermath later but just rolled her eyes for now. 

As more and more people filled the house, Alex did seem to relax a bit, or at least get distracted enough to not stress. Sure, Maggie noticed how often she was washing her hands and how she was avoiding Ryan, despite his affectionate nature and desire to constantly be held, but she didn’t think the rest of the family did. Which was for the best. It wasn’t like they would have ostracized the woman, but she also knew they weren’t a family of germophobes and neat freaks. They shrugged off colds and worse, figuring that kids would learn to tough it out and tell the difference between illnesses that needed medicine and those that were dealt with stoically. She assumed Alex’s upbringing must have been a bit different. 

Over dinner, Alex did a good job fielding questions from dozens of people at once. She was witty and charming and everything that had made Maggie fall for her in the first place. When she felt Alex was being too modest, she chimed in, citing her accomplishments—both personal and professional—which made the redhead blush every time. Alex returned the favor later on, detailing what a wonderful addition Maggie had been to the Department and bragging about how great she was with the students to her family. Maggie’s dad in particular seemed pleased to hear Alex complimenting his daughter, catching her eye and nodding a small thanks to her each time she chimed in. 

By the time everyone finished eating dinner and Alex started helping to clear the plates, Maggie could tell that the general consensus was one of hearty approval. Fear of her barely sick little cousin and all, Alex had won them over. While Alex was helping her mom and her aunts in the kitchen, Maggie wandered out to the living room where she found Andrés. 

“Hey, Andrés! How’s it going?”

“Andy now,” he corrected.

Maggie quirked an eyebrow, “Really? You used to hate it when we called you that. Said it sounded like a nickname for babies.”

The boy shrugged. “There are other Andys in my grade. I was the only Andrés. Besides, you went with Maggie, didn’t you, Margherita?”

“We all know Margherita was a little too girly for my taste.”

He laughed. “Yeah, you just like your girlfriends girly?”

“When did you get to be such a smartass? Same time you decided to become Andy?”

“I don’t know. Andrew works too.”

“Okay, I’ll give you Andy. That’s a common enough nickname. But Andrew is a whole new name, bud.”

“It sounds white.” His voice was low, almost a whisper now. 

“Is someone bullying you?” Maggie fought back her anger. She knew she could be overprotective, especially of Andrés, who she had long-suspected had more than a few things in common with her.

“Not really. But people don’t like Mexicans. They don’t like us. They say so on TV.”

“Well those people are hateful and ignorant. You shouldn’t let them dictate how you live your life.” In response to the indifferent shrug she received in response, Maggie continued, “Look, I’m not going to tell you what to call yourself. Be Andy if you want to. But do it because you want to, not because some stupid white kids tell you that’s who you should be. And ignore the blowhards on TV, okay? Next time you have an issue, you call me. You’ve got my cell phone number right?”

“Yeah. But maybe you’ll be busy. With your girlfriend…”

Maggie laughed, “I think we can make time for you. And I bet she’d really like you too.”

“She’s pretty. And she seems smart too.”

“You got a crush on my girlfriend, little man?”

“Ew, no!”

Maggie laughed again, “Alright, alright. You know it’s my responsibility as your big cousin to ask. I’m still your favorite big cousin, right?”

“Yeah. And I’m still yours?”

“Always. But we’ll keep it on the DL. Don’t need anyone getting jealous.” She winked and smiled at him. “Now tell me. Is there anyone you do like?”

“I don’t know.” Andrés looked down at his feet, shuffling them along the rug.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Maggie conceded, tousling the boy’s wavy brown hair. “But I want to vet anyone before you go out on a date. Got it?”

“Maaggggieee!” he whined. “You’re so far away. We’d never go on our date in time.”

“In time for what?”

“Nothing.”

“I know when you’re lying. Should I tickle you to find out?”

“No!” he squealed. “In time for formal, okay?”

“So when is formal?”

“End of January,” Andrés grunted.

“And who’s the lucky person?” Maggie didn’t want to specify. Sure, she’d thought he might be gay for a little while now, but maybe he wasn’t. Or he might not be ready for it. But dammit if the kid wasn’t perceptive as hell.

“Why’d you say person?”

Maggie smiled and shook her head softly. “You’re getting to be as observant as me. Maybe you’ll be the next Detective Sawyer.”

“Eh, maybe. But you didn’t answer my question.” Maggie could tell he was starting to get defensive and wanted to preempt any shame.

“I said person because I don’t know who you want to take. I know I wanted to take a woman, and I always hated it when everyone asked me which lucky boy I had my eyes on that year. You could take a girl or a boy or someone who doesn’t identify with either of those labels. Anything you choose is fine. What matters is that you know you’ve got a choice, alright?”

Andrés nodded up at her. “I don’t know if he wants to go with me. Sometimes I think maybe he could, though.”

Maggie tried to fight back a smile. She would have loved him just as much if he had said “she,” but she knew where he was right now, knew what it was like to be a queer brown kid in Blue Springs. And she wanted to help as much as she could in the days she was here. “So who is this boy?”

“His name is Travis. We play soccer together. And he’s in my history and Spanish classes.”

“How did you con them into letting you take Spanish for your language when you already speak it?”

“I didn’t! It’s called ‘Spanish Literature,’ or something. I don’t know, it’s for people who already speak Spanish. We read and write actual papers in Spanish, instead of just learning boring vocab words.”

“Oh. Oh, so Travis speaks Spanish?”

“Yeah, his Mom is from Cuba.”

“So he’s not one of the kids who wants to call you Andy, is he?”

“Nah. But he gets it. He said his mom chose a white name for him on purpose. But he calls me Sawyer.”

Maggie couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh.

“What?” he asked, suddenly nervous.

“It’s nothing. Just, well, Alex used to call me Sawyer. Still does sometimes.”

“Oh. That’s cute, I guess.”

“Yeah, yeah. So tell me about Travis.”

“I don’t know. He’s nice. And funny. We hang out a lot. And his mom is a really good cook.”

“Don’t let my mom hear you saying that!” Maggie teased. “So you think he might like you too?”

“I think so. He puts his head on my shoulder sometimes when we watch movies. And he lets me use the better controller when we play X-Box at his house.”

Maggie bit back a squeal, feeling more like Kara than she ever had. “Well, I think those sound pretty promising. I think you should ask him.”

“But what if he’s not, Maggie! What if I ruin everything! Maybe he’s not okay with, you know, people like you.”

“That’s a reality of life, you know. But it doesn’t sound like he’s that kind of person.”

“What if he is? And I don’t know for sure that I like boys yet, just him, maybe. How can I tell?”

“Oh, sweetie, if I had an answer for that, I could have saved myself a lot of stress and rejection in high school.” An idea suddenly hit her, “I heard we’re supposed to get more snow tonight. What if you invite him to come over tomorrow to do a snowball fight or something? Alex and I can come, and you can see how he is with us. Then you’ll at least know if he’s okay with gay people, right?”

“You’d do that?” Andrés asked, looking up at Maggie with his big brown eyes.

“Of course. What are favorite cousins for?”

“I don’t know…maybe talking my parents into letting me come here tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I think I can do that too. I’ll tell them I want to spend more time with you. Which is true, you know.”

“Yeah. Plus,” a teasing tone crept into his voice, “I should probably make sure I like Alex enough for you to marry her.” 

If Maggie had been drinking anything she might have choked. “Marry her?”

“Yeah. I heard my mom talking to your mom in the kitchen about it. They think you guys are gonna get married. And you do act all couple-y, Maggie.”

Alex strolled in just in time to hear the end of Andrés’ comments. “Who are you acting all couple-y with, Sawyer?” 

Andrés laughed at the nickname, and Maggie spun around to pull Alex down into the chair with her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her quickly. “There are children present!” Alex squeaked. 

Andrés just rolled his eyes. “I’m 15. Plus, you two are going to have to do things like that tomorrow when you help me find out if Travis likes gay people.”

Alex shot a confused look at Maggie, who just grinned. She wasn’t planning on saying anything to Alex in case Andrés wasn’t ready to open up to a stranger, but she guessed that Alex got to be in on the plan since she would be a part of it.

“So, uhm, who is Travis?” Alex asked. It wasn’t that she couldn’t deal with a potentially homophobic man, but she wanted to know what she’d be going up against first.

Seeing the worry in her girlfriend’s eyes, Maggie wrapped her arms around Alex, kissing her temple. “He’s also 15, so maybe don’t panic too much yet.”

“Oh! Oh, okay.” Alex breathed out a sigh of relief. “So why do we need to know if he likes gay people?” 

Trying to help Andrés out as much as she could without potentially outing him, Maggie tried to explain: “Well, remember how I casually mentioned my ex-girlfriend in front of you when we first met in your office?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, still not entirely sure she knew where this was going.

“I did it because I wanted to gauge your reaction, see if you were going to be some homophobe or something. Or see if, you know, maybe there was that spark of recognition—the ‘Oh look! Another lesbian!’ reaction”

“Okay…and so we want to find out if Travis is one of us or just if he doesn’t like lesbians?”

“Both.”

Andrés, while appreciative of what Maggie was doing, finally got tired of them dancing around the subject and cut in, “I need to know if he’d get freaked out if I asked him to winter formal.”

After a brief moment of confusion, a huge smile spread across Alex’s face. “Oh! Oh, yeah, we can do that. We got it.”

“So,” Andrés began, “what was it in Alex’s reaction that told you she was also a lesbian?”

Maggie laughed long and hard, ignoring Alex’s glare and pursed lips. Finally, Alex decided she should talk, rather than listen to Maggie laugh any longer. “Well, we don’t all figure things out so young. I’m, you know, twice your age or so. And people were even worse about LGBT people when I was growing up. And I wasn’t really ready to accept a lot of things about myself. So, uh, I, well, I don’t know what Maggie thought from my reactions. But it was actually getting to know Maggie and reconnecting with an old friend that brought me out of the closet.”

“Oh.” Andrés was surprised. He just knew Maggie, knew that as long as he’d known her, she brought women to family functions if she showed up or posted pictures of her and other women on her Facebook page. He didn’t realize that Alex might be a lot closer to his stage in the process. “So how was, uh, coming out?”

“Eh. Maggie and Vicky made it a lot better. And so did my sister once I told her. Turns out she dates women too,” Alex laughed. “She and my mom both sort of knew already when I told them.”

Andrés shifted his attention back to Maggie. “How do you think my mom would take it?”

“I think she’d be just fine. She was one of the first people I told, and she was great, honestly. And if she’s not? You tell her to call me.”

Alex smiled adoringly at Maggie, wondering about how perfect the woman really was. 

Tina’s loud voice calling from the kitchen startled them out of the moment. “Dessert time! Coffee is ready in the kitchen! I’m not going to make your plates for you!”

Maggie and Andrés both jumped to the couch, pulling a confused looking Alex behind them, explaining, “Dessert goes fast! You gotta get there early if you want a big plate.”

\---

By the time everyone left, Alex was exhausted. Unlike Maggie, she hadn’t slept since their flight, and it was now well after midnight in National City. “You ready for bed, babe?” Maggie asked. 

“Please!” Alex followed Maggie up the stairs, racing to brush her teeth and change into pajamas before crawling into the bed.

“Sleep well! We’ve got a big day tomorrow again. Brunch, the snowball fights, then, if you’re up for it, drinks with one or two of my friends from back home.”

Alex made a groaning noise.

“Careful, my parents are going to think you acting tired was just a ruse.”

“What?” Alex hissed back in hushed tones, suddenly very awake. “I can’t have them thinking that!”

“Alex, we’re adults. You’re exhausted. Just go to bed.”


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little smut, a little fluff, and a little (short-lived) angst
> 
> *See note at Chapter 39 re not being canon compliant with the Sawyer family

When Alex woke up the next morning, she was confused to find the rest of the bed empty. She blearily found her phone, realizing she had slept in later than she had in ages and hoping Maggie’s parents wouldn’t judge her for it. She found socks and a sweatshirt before heading downstairs. After poking her head in the kitchen and dining room, Alex finally found Maggie curled up in sweats on the couch in the living room.

“Good morning, dear!”

“Morning. How long have you been up?”

“As much as I’d love to fuck with you by saying hours, not that long. I got up maybe half an hour ago?”

“Oh. Okay. Where are your parents?”

“They went out to get stuff for brunch. We’ve still got like two hours before everyone gets here though. Do you want something to eat?”

Alex nodded, and was soon handed a cup of coffee and a muffin, which she gratefully accepted before dropping to the couch. “I was so tired.”

“Yeah…travel and family will do that to ya,” Maggie laughed.

“So who’s coming today?”

“My mom’s other sister, Elena, and her kids. She has Laura, who will maybe be bringing her boyfriend, and Peter, plus Peter’s wife Hannah and their two kids, Patrick and Melissa.”

“Okay…and how old are all of these people?”

“Laura is in her early twenties…still college-aged, though she’s not in college. Her boyfriend is a year or two older, I think. Peter and Hannah are somewhere around our age, maybe a bit older. Patrick is young, I want to say five? And Melissa is a baby.”

“Okay. It makes me feel better that you don’t have all the exact information either,” Alex admitted.

“Nah, it’s too many people. They still ask me how old I am and where I’m living, so it’s only fair.” 

“Anything specific to expect from any of them?”

“Not really. I haven’t met the baby yet, obviously, and I haven’t seen Patrick much. Peter and Hannah are fine, if a little boring. Even though they’re our age, suddenly they have way more in common with my aunts and uncles, especially the younger ones. Laura is fine too, though I’ve never met the boyfriend. She goes through them quickly. Elena is great; she’s a couple years older than my mom, not that you should bring it up, of course.”

“Of course.” A few seconds later, Alex asked, “Do you think I could shower? It’d be nice to feel clean for everyone.”

“Right, yes! I can find towels and everything.” Maggie led Alex back upstairs, grabbing towels from the closet, and helped her get the water on in one of the bathrooms. “I’m going to shower too, but I’ll be just down the hall if you need anything, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks!”

After a longer than normal shower, Alex finally decided she had used enough hot water and really ought to get out. She soon realized her mistake in not bringing her clothes with her and braced herself for the cold run across the hallway in the towel, praying that Maggie’s parents hadn’t gotten home while she was in the shower. She cracked the door, listening for sounds of life, but didn’t hear anything. With a deep breath, she sprinted across the hall and into the guest room, finding Maggie already half-dressed.

“I like the look, Mags,” she teased. 

“Shut up. There’s nothing worse than cold jeans.”

“Ugh, I know. The idea of putting on clothing other than sweatpants is so unappealing.”

Maggie wiggled her eyebrows, wrapping her arms around Alex as she guided her back to the bed. “Maybe you don’t put any clothing on just yet.”

“Maggie,” Alex hissed. “Your parents! They will be home any minute!”

“Yes and? They know better than to fling open a closed door. Plus, we’ll hear them when they get home.”

Alex continued to look unconvinced, but she let Maggie wrap her arms around her, kissing her neck. Alex moaned into the contact, which only spurred Maggie on. She dragged her fingers down Alex’s thighs, then back up, repeating the motion while sucking on Alex’s nipples until the redhead was bucking her hips, her reservations apparently gone. Maggie let her fingers flit across Alex’s pussy, gasping when she felt how wet the other woman already was. She dropped to her knees, propping Alex’s legs over her shoulders as she flicked her tongue up and across Alex’s clit, then lowered it back down to taste her.

Alex could feel herself getting into it, could feel herself edging closer. She hadn’t realized how much stress she was holding onto until she started to feel it slip away under Maggie’s touch. 

Maggie heard the door open, but she could also feel Alex’s thighs gripping her head tighter. She knew the woman was close, but she also had a sneaking suspicion that Alex would kill her if she came only to find out Maggie’s parents were inside within hearing distance. Finally, a sense of morality overtook her, and she pulled her mouth away.

“No!” Alex whined, trying to guide Maggie’s mouth back to her pussy.

“Al, okay, we can keep going if you’re quiet. I was just letting you know I think my parents are home. They’re still downstairs, though, probably running back and forth to unload the car.”

It was like a bucket of ice water, and Alex scrambled off the bed, rummaging through her suitcase to find clothing immediately. Maggie just sighed. She was fairly certain Alex needed the release, and she didn’t think they’d have another chance to be alone until tonight. Still, it was up to Alex. Maggie pulled on socks and her cold jeans, grimacing at the feeling. They felt uncomfortably tight, making her conscious of just how wet she had gotten fucking Alex. She shook her head, willing herself to go downstairs to help get everything ready for brunch. 

Alex soon followed her down, and they were able to distract themselves with putting away groceries and helping cut up fruit and beat the eggs. Soon enough, Elena arrived with her family, and Alex went through her second round of introductions. Luckily, this time there was a boyfriend, Dave, going through the same thing, so she felt far less attention being paid to her. Alex also stood out rather favorably. Where she was polite and quick to help, Dave sat around in the living room with Laura, ignoring the rest of the family. Where Alex had put on a nice shirt and sweater despite knowing that Tina would tell her anything she wore was fine, Dave refused to take his baseball hat off even at the table. Although no one was overly offended, Tina did pull Maggie aside to commend her for bringing home “such a winner.” Maggie just laughed, knowing Elena and her mother had always been a bit competitive.

Patrick didn’t take too much to Maggie or Alex, both of whom seemed like new people to him, and he stayed close to his parents, clutching at their legs whenever they went to move. They had better luck with Melissa, and Alex seemed to have the magic touch when it came to gently rocking her to sleep after she had begun crying loudly at the end of the meal. When Maggie moved out to the kitchen to start putting on coffee, her mother quickly followed. “Alex looks like a natural with that baby, don’t you think?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Maybe you two should think about it.”

“You know, I haven’t even been using condoms, but no matter how hard I try, it’s just not working,” Maggie snapped back sarcastically. She knew her mom was trying to be sweet, but she was sick and tired of everyone treating her like a freak for not wanting kids. Especially once the laws changed, making same-sex marriage legal and adoption in same-sex couples much easier, everyone assumed all of her qualms would be gone. No one seemed to consider that maybe she was happy without children, happy as an aunt and a mentor, but not as a mom. 

“There’s no reason to be crude, Margherita. There are ways for either of you to get pregnant. I’m just saying, don’t let your ideas keep Alex from something she wants, even if that means letting her go.”

Maggie felt her mood darken. She crept out to peer into the living room where Alex was seated in a rocking chair, holding Melissa as she looked out through the glass door. Maggie watched her for a while, watched the gentle motions she made, listened to the quiet whispered lullaby she sang. Sure, she had overheard what Alex said to her mother, but maybe it was just because Alex thought it was too early or maybe she had been projecting her own thoughts about children too much onto Alex. 

After a few minutes of watching Maggie’s reflection in the glass, Alex finally called out, her voice soft, “Are you going to come in here or just keep watching me from the doorway?”

Maggie blushed at being caught, then made her way into the room. She pulled the ottoman up next to Alex and sat down cross-legged. “You look good with her. It would make a cute picture.”

“She is a sweetheart,” Alex admitted. “I’m sure she’s very photogenic.”

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“I’m not sure I do, Maggie.”

“My mom commented on it. How good you are with her. How happy you look holding her.”

“Who wouldn’t be happy holding someone this cute?” Alex cooed.

After a deep breath, Maggie admitted, “Me. I wouldn’t be.” She braced herself for the reaction. 

“Okay. Then you don’t hold her. More time for me!” Alex smiled.

“Aren’t you, I don’t know, mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“Because I don’t even like cute, quiet babies. Because this is the moment where everything becomes real, where you realize that it’s not just some silly thing of mine when I say I don’t want kids, but it’s me being very honest with myself. And with you.”

“I know. You have told me all of this before.”

“But you do!” Maggie steeled herself for what she knew she needed to say next. “And I, I don’t want to lead you on, keep going in this relationship, if we want such different lives. I don’t want to leave or lose you, but I can’t make you sacrifice something you want.”

“Maggie,” Alex said, trying to keep her voice calm for Melissa’s sake. “Since when does the fact that I appreciate a cute baby mean that I want one? You know what’s great about holding someone else’s baby? You give it back. Yesterday you watched me refuse to touch your little cousin beyond head pats because he was sick. So why on earth do you think that I’m secretly lying about my choice in family?”

Maggie opened her mouth but nothing came out.

“You need to give me something to go on here, Sawyer. You just tried to end our relationship without even bothering to get my input.”

“Sorry, sorry. Please, just, let me explain, okay?”

“Fine, go.”

“Al, I don’t know that this is the best place or time to have this conversation.” 

“You tried to dump me like this, so how about you explain yourself?”

Maggie knew it wasn’t really a question or an option. She closed her eyes and began, “Okay, so remember Kate?”

“The one your dad caught you fucking?”

“Uh, right. Also my longest relationship. The only other woman that has met my family as a girlfriend, rather than just an incidental meeting.”

“Yes, I get it. This talk is really going so well for you, Mags,” Alex shot back sarcastically. She wasn’t sure why she was so annoyed, but she couldn’t help it. It probably had something to do with Maggie’s attempt to end their relationship in her parents’ living room without even giving her a chance to defend herself. 

“Please,” Maggie pleaded, “I need you to listen to the whole thing. If not, I don’t want to do this now.”

“Fine.” Alex took a deep breath and tried to improve her mood by looking at the now slightly squirming baby.

“Well, Kate and I were pretty serious, obviously. We broke up a few times along the way, but we always seemed to find our way back to each other.”

“Okay.”

“Uh, yeah, so, the thing is, we were engaged.”

Alex ground her teeth together, determined not to startle Melissa but also more than a little annoyed that after everything, Maggie had never bothered to tell her she had been engaged.

“You look mad, but please hear me out. We got engaged, and we were happy. We both had demanding jobs with crazy hectic hours, and for once, I thought I had found a woman who didn’t resent that about me. She didn’t get mad when I couldn’t make it home to dinner, even if she had already cooked. She didn’t begrudge me the night shifts I got stuck working. She even understood where I was coming from when I just got home so fucking angry from a case, when I needed to drink or cry or scream or fuck until I forgot.”

“Maggie, please get to the point. I’m trying so hard, but right now all I’m getting is an image of is you fucking your ex-fiancée for hours.”

“Point is: I thought she got me. And with everything we both saw and dealt with on the streets of Gotham, with the crazy hours we both worked, I assumed we were both on the same page about not wanting to bring a kid into that world, especially when we didn’t have the time to make a family our top priority. But we didn’t talk about it until way too late. And it wasn’t until then that I found out that even if it wasn’t something she wanted in the next few years, it was something she wanted down the line. Or at least wanted to consider.”

“Oh.” Alex closed her eyes for a few minutes to let everything sink in. She understood Maggie’s reaction better now, though she was still fighting down the jealousy that kept rearing its ugly head. “How long ago was this?”

“Years ago. You’re not a rebound or anything like that. You’re totally different people, and I’m not trying to get back what I had with Kate with you. You’re amazing for who you are, Alex. You’re the person I love, and there’s no comparison.”

Alex flushed. “You love me, Sawyer?”

Maggie blanched. She didn’t realize that had slipped out, but she needed Alex to understand how she felt. “Uh, yeah, I do. I wasn’t necessarily planning to tell you this way, but I do love you, Alex.”

“I love you too, Maggie. Also wasn’t really planning to tell you this early, but I guess we’re just advanced.”

“When you put it that way…” Maggie teased. She stood up and gently leaned over Melissa, kissing Alex softly but insistently, needing her to feel how much she cared for her.

Both women were too engrossed in each other to hear Tina and Elena walk in. The women shushed each other as Tina pulled out her phone again, wondering how many moments she would secretly capture before the girls left.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LIttle smut and a whole lot of fluff

By the time Elena and her family had left, they only had a few minutes left before Andrés and Travis were due to arrive. Maggie dragged Alex up to the guest room, yelling that they needed to find their warmest clothes for the snowball fight and to call up when the kids got there. Of course, Maggie already knew where to find the warm clothes, already knew that she and Alex would wait until the kids got here to change lest they sweat through all of the layers sitting inside. When they got upstairs, Maggie threw the bedroom door shut, pushing Alex down onto the bed and climbing on top of her, already unbuttoning her shirt as her mouth hungrily found Alex’s lips. Maggie was desperate, her body thrumming with passion and the rush of adrenaline from having accidentally declared her love for Alex weeks if not months earlier than she’d intended to do so. 

Alex felt a similar desperation, chasing Maggie’s lips, loving the feeling of Maggie’s skin hot on hers. Even with most of their clothes still on, Alex was already close, still close, still waiting from this morning. She soon had a hand between Maggie’s legs, cupping her over her jeans, pushing down roughly, needing to feel something. In what she was coming to recognize as a recurring experience with Maggie, Alex felt like she was getting the teenage years she had read about in books and seen in television. At least she knew that if Maggie’s mom happened to find them, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. And apparently Maggie’s dad also wouldn’t kill her. Though both scenarios seemed highly uncomfortable, and she really would prefer to never have to know. So she bit the inside of her cheek when Maggie undid her button and zipper and slid her hand down between her legs. 

Maggie was having a harder time staying quiet. Between the constant pressure of Alex’s hand and finding Alex soaking wet, she wanted to gasp, to moan, to scream out and tear Alex’s clothes off her body. She could feel desire coursing through her veins, every touch magnified. She was panting heavily, almost too heavily to hear her mom calling up, “Girls! Andy and his friend are here!”

Alex whimpered as Maggie pulled her fingers out of her jeans, left wanting for the second time that day. Maggie schooled her expression, trying to remember how much she loved her little cousin, letting that outweigh her frustrations. She finally contented herself with thoughts of how hard she would fuck Alex that night. Alex quickly buttoned her jeans and shirt, running a hand through her hair as she followed Maggie down the stairs, trying to look excited about their snow date. 

Tina caught Maggie’s arm when she bounded off the stairs onto the carpeted landing. She looked between the two women, both of them pink in the cheeks and noticeably disheveled. “Margherita, you’re going to run to the bathroom and fix your hair and your shirt before you go see your cousin. You’re lucky I called when I saw them pulling into the driveway, so you have another minute.”

Maggie almost whined about what could have accomplished in that extra minute, but thought better of it when she saw how bright red Alex was already. Tina clearly saw that too and added, “Alex, honey, you look fine. Just try to stop blushing.”

Soon enough, Maggie was back out, looking significantly less like she had just been pulled out of the backseat of a car by an angry parent. She took Alex by the hand and led her to the living room where Andrés and Travis were already camped out with a plate of cookies. Or what had been a plate of cookies and was now a plate of crumbs. Alex felt a bit like she was back home, really. She wondered if a group of teenage boys combined could give Kara a run for her money. 

Andrés sprung up when he saw his cousin. “You ready for our snowball fight?”

“Yeah, yeah. Ready to kick your butt, you mean?”

“It’s so on.” Suddenly Alex saw the family resemblance in the determined look they both got in their eyes. It was adorable.

“C’mon, soldier, let’s get you geared up for battle,” Alex teased, pulling Maggie toward the coat closet. They quickly found layers, Maggie switching Alex’s knitted mittens out for a waterproof pair (“rookie mistake, Danvers!”) and finding a pair of snowboots that would fit. Finally they were ready. They made their way outside, looking a bit like marshmallows but at least not dreading the bitter cold. 

Once they got outside, before Andrés and Maggie could get distracted in hashing out the rules, Alex nudged her girlfriend. “Maybe we should do introductions?”

“Right!” Maggie exclaimed. “Sorry! I’m Maggie, Andrés’ coolest cousin.” She held out a gloved hand to Travis, who shook it with a big smile on his face.

“Travis. Andrés’ coolest friend.”

“I’m Alex. Andrés’ coolest cousin’s girlfriend?”

Travis nodded. “Cool. Nice to meet you.” Alex shook his hand, feeling oddly formal in her bright blue borrowed coat, but Travis just grinned up at her. “I like the hat, by the way.”

Alex hadn’t even looked to see what hat Maggie had handed her. “Oh yeah? You a Supergirl fan?” Maggie laughed, pleased at having brought it along for Alex to wear.

“She’s pretty cool,” Travis replied. “I heard she’s even faster than her cousin.”

“That’s true,” Alex added with a knowing smile. 

“Oh my god, do you know her? Do you know him?” Travis asked, his mouth wide.

“She’s pretty close with Supergirl,” Maggie stage whispered.

“And I have met her cousin a few times, though I’ll be honest, I’m a bigger fan of Supergirl.”

“Well duh,” Andrés said, rolling his eyes. “Pretty girl in spandex…of course you like her better.”

Maggie nudged Alex hard to stop her from making gagging noises, lest they have to explain her reaction. “She just knows better than to say anything in front of me,” Maggie teased.

“It’s different when it’s a superhero. They’re like celebrities, you know?” Travis chimed in. “Like, Superman is so cool and strong, but it’s not like I actually think of him like that.”

Maggie caught Andrés’ gaze. It was something, but inconclusive. Even Maggie could admit that Superman was cool and strong, but it certainly didn’t make her straight. More proof was needed. 

They quickly got down to the rules, deciding both teams would have 15 minutes before they started to build up some sort of fort and get snowballs ready. Then it was war. Only rules were no ice balls and no deliberately aiming for the face. As soon as they set the timer, both teams race to their sides. Travis began building up a rounded wall big enough to fit both him and Andrés if they needed cover, while Andrés began building a stockpile of snowballs, storing them behind the wall. As they worked, occasionally sneaking glimpses of Maggie and Alex to see what they were building, Travis spoke: “Thanks for inviting me over. I was worried we wouldn’t get to hang out at all over break.”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, no, I’m glad you’re here!”

“Yeah. Your cousin seems cool. And same with her girlfriend.”

“You think so?” Andrés asked, needing to be sure.

“Yeah. I want to find out how she knows Supergirl and Superman. Maybe we can do hot chocolate after or something. Do you think your aunt has more of those cookies?”

“Oh for sure. She makes hundreds for the holidays.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah.”

They went back to working in silence, making sure they were well-prepared for the coming onslaught.

Maggie and Alex had gotten a decent sized wall, though they had slacked on their duty of preparing snowballs. Ostensibly they were working on it together, huddled behind their wall, but the closeness and cover from prying eyes was too good of an opportunity to pass up. And Alex had looked so cute, her cheeks and nose flushed from the cold, and pieces of snow stuck to the ends of her hair. Maggie pulled her in, intending to just kiss her briefly. Just a peck, really. But then Alex had teased her lips with her tongue, and Maggie felt her heart race. It was innocent fun, but it was still a perfect moment. 

When Andrés yelled out with a one-minute warning, they broke apart, quickly packing together as many snowballs as they could make in their last few seconds. 

Once Travis yelled, “Go!” all hell broke loose, with snowballs flying from both sides, almost everyone getting hit at least once within the first minute. Maggie and Alex soon ran out of snowballs and were forced back behind their barricade to stockpile more, which only left Travis and Andrés with additional time to add to their pile. 

As the fight wore on, there was a moment of confusion when Alex barked, “Sawyer, get down!” and both Andrés and Maggie hit the ground. When they all realized what had happened, they burst out into a fit of giggles. Figuring the proper snowball fight was over, Alex called out, “Every man for himself!” 

After a moment of hesitation, the other three standing around and processing what had been said, Alex lunged forward and tackled Maggie into the snow, earning a faceful of snow in return. Meanwhile, Travis and Andrés had decided to make the most of their stockpile by throwing them at each other. When they ran out of supplies, Andrés and Travis turned over to Maggie and Alex’s side to see if they had any extra snowballs, only to find the women rolling around in the snow and kissing. 

“Sorry ’bout that,” Andrés mumbled.

“Oh, it’s whatever. My older brother is constantly locking me out of the basement to spend time with his girlfriend. It’s less weird when they’re not your family.”

“Okay. Cool. Do you like his girlfriend?”

“Eh, she’s fine, I guess. She tried to set me up with her little sister.”

“Oh?” Andrés tried to sound vaguely interested. “How’d that go?”

“It didn’t. She’s not my type.”

Andrés’ face fell at the idea that Travis already knew what type of girl he wanted to date, but he didn’t want the conversation to get weird. “So, uhm, what is your type?”

Travis shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d want someone I could play video games and watch movies with. Just chill, you know. Maybe play out in the snow together…” he trailed off, not wanting to show his hand if he was reading the situation wrong. At least he knew Andrés wasn’t going to beat the shit out of him for being gay or anything, at least not if his cousin was any indication. 

Andrés gulped, inching slightly closer to Travis. “Yeah? Me too. For my…person or whatever.”

Wanting to be sure, Travis asked, “And my type might, well, might be a guy. I hope you’re okay with that…” 

Finally feeling confident enough in the signs, Andrés moved forward and kissed Travis lightly, smiling when Travis leaned into him and kissed him back—still chaste but firmer, more confident that they were both there, both feeling the same way.

Alex happened to be flipping Maggie over to get out of the cold wet snow when this happened. She made a shushing motion as she smacked Maggie, gesturing over to the two boys. As soon as they broke apart, Alex quickly threw herself back on top of Maggie, hoping Andrés and Travis would be none the wiser about being caught.

Andrés just rolled his eyes at the two. If anything, they were the ones acting like teenagers. “We’re going inside for cookies, Maggie! You don’t get to blame me if there aren’t any left!”

Maggie pushed Alex off of her as she scrambled for the door. “Not if I get there first!”

The two Sawyers raced to the door, leaving Travis and Alex both looking after them, shaking their heads in amusement. 

“They’ll save us some, right?” Travis asked.

“Oh they better. Maggie knows she won’t get any…conversation tonight if she doesn’t.”

Travis rolled his eyes at Alex’s obvious attempt to cover up what she had said, but he nodded anyway.

They carefully pulled off their damp outer layers, hanging them to dry on the drying rack Tina had set up for them. Alex ran upstairs to grab dry sweatpants, and by the time she came back down, the other three were settled around a fire that Mateo must have started for them while they were out playing. Alex blushed when she realized that their side of the battlefield was directly in front of the glass door in the living room. She hoped Mateo had been too busy with the fire to notice her kissing his daughter. 

The four spent the next hour warming up with hot cocoa and plenty of cookies, though Tina vetoed the idea of making s’mores inside, insisting that marshmallows were campfire food that would definitely end up all over the fireplace. Alex was pleased to find out that Travis liked science, and the two chatted amiably about all the different experiments he might do for the science fair, while Maggie pulled Andrés aside with a knowing smirk and gave him a small fist bump. “Proud of you, little cousin.”

“You too, Mags.”

“For what?”

“Bringing someone home again.”

“You’re too wise for your years,” Maggie laughed.

“Or I’m just observant.”

“Same difference.”

Eventually Travis’ mom showed up to take the boys back to their homes, and Maggie pulled Alex into her to take a nap in front of the fire. Or at least, that was the plan until Tina came in and insisted they move away from the fireplace lest someone’s hair catch fire and cause a whole disaster. 

They trudged up to the bedroom, and Maggie set an alarm to go off in an hour after ascertaining that Alex would be fine with going out to see her friends.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Alex yawned. “I’m just tired. But tomorrow we need to finish grading, okay? I don’t want to worry about it on Christmas.”


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff with Maggie's high school friends and then some much-needed smut

They both started when the alarm rang, more than a little confused after having fallen soundly asleep, exhausted from their time in the snow.

“What do I wear, Mags? It’s so cold, but I want your friends to like me.”

“It’s winter in Nebraska. I promise no one is going to judge you for multiple layers and snowboots.”

Alex nodded, eventually settling on a pair of black skinny jeans as her “nice” item of clothing, then layering up as much as she could on top.

When they got to the bar, Alex was pleased to find that everyone was dressed pretty similarly. Maggie waived to a man and a woman sitting in the corner booth and dragged Alex over to them. “Alex, meet my best friends from high school: Tim and Heather.”

Tim cut in, “She means her only friends from high school.”

“Yeah, well guess what? I was your only friend until I introduced you to Heather.”

“Whatever…Blue Springs is just too small town to recognize fabulous in its midst.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Heather chimed in. “Nice to meet you, Alex. Glad to see Maggie’s standards are still so high, even if she’s totally got a type.”

“Are you, uh, an ex?” Alex asked. She was already a bit thrown by the dynamic between the other three and was trying to keep up.

“Maggie wishes,” Tim laughed.

“Shut up, Tim!” Maggie yelled, pushing him further back into the booth. “No, not a couple. I thought Heather was a lesbian for a while.”

“Do you think everyone is a lesbian, Sawyer?” Alex teased.

“In my defense, she did make out with me. So I wasn’t insane for thinking it.”

“But alas, as it turns out, I love dick.”

“Amen sister!” Tim cheered, high fiving Heather.

Alex nodded, trying to get all of the connections straight. Seeing Alex’s confusion, Maggie figured she should explain. Knowing how blunt and upfront both of her friends were, Maggie threw it all out at once: “Tim was my best friend in high school. We were the only two out gay kids in Blue Springs, or at least in our high school. Despite knowing that I was gay, Heather chose to hang out with me. Hence the suspicion that she might be gay. I took her to the movies once, wondering if it could be a date. We made out in her car. It was fun, but, as she said, she is tragically heterosexual. We’ve remained friends, despite her personal failings,” Maggie added with a wink.

“Got it. I think.”

“Now you? What’s your deal?” Heather asked.

Maggie cut in. “Do you want the quick, blunt version?”

“Of course. Easiest way. Like a bandaid.”

“Right, then let me. Danvers. Alex Danvers. Professor of biology and all-around badass. Late-to-the-game lesbian, but not for lack of early experience. Opposite of you, really, Heather. Lost her virginity to her lady best friend then hung out in the closet for years until she ran into yours truly.”

“So you fucked her gay again?” Tim asked, reaching out to pat Maggie on the back.

Finally getting a grasp on how they interacted, Alex cut in with a smirk, “No, actually. This one turned me down, but my friend from high school was more than happy to lend a helping hand…and mouth.”

“Oh I like her,” Tim exclaimed.

Heather nodded in agreement. “Well chosen, Mags.”

“Now that introductions are out of the way, can we get back to gossiping?” Heather asked.

Alex and Maggie nodded, both happy to have the attention removed from them for a bit. They settled into conversation quickly, Alex trying to keep up amid stories of people she’d never heard of before.

Suddenly it seemed Maggie didn’t recognize one of the names, and she stopped the conversation to ask.

“Oh, Joe? He’s my boyfriend.”

“You have a boyfriend, and you didn’t tell me! What the hell, Tim? I thought we were friends!”

“We are! He’s new! You were supposed to meet him this trip, but he got so sick. I left him at home.”

Maggie could feel the tension pouring off of Alex, seeping out of her pores as she fought to school her expression into one of concern for this unknown boy rather than fear for her own wellbeing.

Heather (unhelpfully) chimed in, “Oh god, is it the flu? So many people are sick. Half my family is dying. Here’s to us staying healthy!”

Maggie tried to keep Alex calm through the rest of the night, but she could feel her girlfriend worrying. She wasn’t quite sure why it was such a big deal—sure, no one liked being sick, but there were worse things—but she also knew better than to snipe at Alex about it if the night before was any indication of how she might respond.

Eventually Alex did relax enough to enjoy the night, though the tension returned when they left the bar. “I’m really cold, do you think I’m getting sick?”

“Alex, it’s like two degrees out. No shit you’re cold.”

“But what if it’s more than that? I feel it in my bones.”

“Baby, so do I.”

“Maybe you’re sick too! We’ve been exposed to all of the same germs.”

“Alex, didn’t you get a flu shot?”

“Yes, but I checked the CDC data, and apparently the strain that’s currently sweeping through Nebraska isn’t one that’s covered with the vaccine.”

“You’re a nerd, you know that?”

“Now is not the time for foreplay, Maggie Sawyer!”

Maggie laughed. Only Alex would hear that as a pickup line. “Hey, Alex, you know what really gives your immune system a boost?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, right, of course you do. But orgasms are a way to do it.”

“Hmm.”

“Is that a ‘hmm’ maybe we’ll try, or a ‘hmm’ that’s interesting information of which I’ll attempt to ascertain the validity through extensive research at a later date?”

“Can it be both?”

“I would expect nothing less.”

The drive home was quiet. Luckily it wasn’t snowing anymore, so the roads were okay. They quietly let themselves into the house, noticing how many lights were off and assuming that Maggie’s parents had gone to bed already. They crept upstairs, changing into pajamas and getting ready for bed.

But when they got into bed, Maggie wasn’t really ready to sleep. She pulled Alex in close, chasing her lips. She let her hands roam freely, loving the feeling of Alex curled into her. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

“Maggie, you know I want this. But are you sure?”

“You know I want you. And I’m telling you they’re both sound sleepers. But it’s your call.”

Of course, Maggie made that call easier for Alex by letting her fingers fall lower, tracing the waistband of Alex’s pajama pants and swiping over her hipbones.

“Fuck me,” Alex finally moaned, having made her decision.

Maggie grinned, quietly climbing on top of Alex and letting her hand drop lower, sinking two fingers into Alex’s wet folds. “I wanted to do this all fucking day,” Maggie growled, her voice a low rasp in Alex’s ear.

“I was ready to just go fuck myself in the bathroom after all those interruptions,” Alex admitted with a smile.

Maggie closed her eyes, letting herself imagine the situation: Alex so desperate for her that she stalked off into the bathroom, dragging down her pants and throwing one leg up, letting her fingers sink inside herself. A low whimper dragged Maggie out of her fantasy and back to the reality of the very sexy woman writhing underneath her. She circled her thumb around Alex’s clit, watching the woman come undone, biting down on her own fingers to stay silent.

Maggie really meant for it to be a quick thing, just her fucking Alex to make up for earlier. But watching Alex come like that, thinking about how desperate Alex had been for her all day…well, she felt the same thing now. She just knew she was dripping wet, would come in mere minutes if Alex would just touch her. Looking up at Maggie, Alex caught the glint of lust in her eyes, saw her pupils blown wide with desire. She could tease and taunt Maggie, leave her desperate and begging, make her wait until the next morning. But Alex decided to take pity on her girlfriend.

She quietly flipped them over so that she was straddling Maggie’s lap and slid her hand down Maggie’s stomach, loving the feeling of the muscles tensing beneath her touch. She barely even teased the woman, knowing Maggie’s tells, knowing she was already hovering on the edge, just waiting for Alex’s touch. So Alex gave it to her, pumped two fingers hard and fast inside of Maggie, flicked her thumb across Maggie’s clit as she watched the woman tremble beneath her.

Maggie soon found herself crashing over the edge, the rush of the earlier-than-expected orgasm catching her by surprise. She bit down on Alex’s shoulder to stifle her moans, her whole body shuddering under Alex’s touch.

Maggie had been so sure that would have been enough, but she found that she was even more wound up then than she was before. Holding Alex above her, Maggie guided two fingers back inside the redhead, smirking as she saw Alex’s jaw drop and her eyes roll back in pleasure. She tossed a shirt up at Alex. “I know we haven’t talked about gags, but I think you might need it.”

Alex whimpered and nodded, quickly biting down on the fabric when Maggie used her free hand to gently squeeze her nipples. Maggie was fucking her so slowly, so deliberately, but Alex needed more. She could feel her arousal dripping down the side of Maggie’s hand. Desperate for more, Alex began fucking herself with Maggie’s fingers, thrusting her hips faster and faster until Maggie stopped her movements altogether.

“What?” Alex whined, pulling the shirt out of her mouth.

“Did I tell you that you could fuck yourself?” Maggie asked, her voice a low but commanding growl.

“No…I didn’t know we were playing that game.”

“Sorry, I thought you might like to. You okay with it?” Maggie checked.

“Oh, yeah, for sure. But I just, I was surprised, that’s all.”

“Then let me fuck you the way I want to fuck you. I promise you’ll get everything you need.”

Alex let out a whining noise before nodding her assent and biting back down on the fabric. Maggie began her torturously slow pace once more, praising Alex each time she noticed the redhead fight the urge to speed up, to fuck her hand harder. Maggie felt how wet Alex was getting, how much she needed to come, so she picked up her pace.

Alex bit down hard on the shirt. Maggie was finally fucking her hard, her fingers buried deep inside her pussy and her thumb resting hard on her clit. Alex could feel her thighs shaking, threatening to give out. She wanted nothing more than to come, to pulse around Maggie’s strong fingers before crashing down and curling into her side. But Maggie seemed determined not to give it to her, to make her wait longer than she could stand to wait. And so, despite Maggie’s warnings, Alex thrust her hips hard and fast into Maggie’s hand.

Maggie felt Alex’s patience suddenly snap, felt the sudden surge of movement against her hand, felt Alex’s walls pulsing around her fingers. She would let Alex have the orgasm, but she knew Alex needed to feel her displeasure, to know that what had happened would not be tolerated in the future. So without thinking, Maggie slapped Alex’s ass—hard and sharp.

The stinging sensation reverberated through Alex’s body, mingling with the waves of pleasure surging through her and pushing her over the edge into one of the most intense orgasms she’d ever had. Alex dropped her jaw to cry out in pleasure, the shirt falling out of her mouth leaving half of a strangled cry free to come pouring out of Alex’s mouth, loud and clear.

Both women froze at the combination of noises, Maggie looking at her hand as though it had betrayed her, while Alex bit her lips, willing the aftershocks not to come, to leave her quiet. Maggie quickly flicked off the lamp on the bedside table and pulled Alex down next to her, determined to maintain the façade that they had been sleeping. She hoped that the noises, if they woke her parents at all, could be chalked up to some animal outside. She’d even take her parents wondering if they were drunk and just being loud…that might be the go-to story, she realized.

“I’m sorry,” Alex whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.

“You’re okay. I promise. Wouldn’t change it for the world. Plus, I’m the one that hit your ass. You okay?”

“Great. So good. I mean, stressed as hell about your parents, but I needed that.”

Maggie kissed Alex’s forehead, whispered a goodnight, then curled in to let sleep distract her from her anxiety about the conversation she would have in the morning.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of religiously-motivated homophobia
> 
> Also, thank you for all of the comments and kudos! I will respond once I get edits done on my academic work...wanted to get this chapter up, though!

The next morning turned out to be every bit as uncomfortable and terse as Maggie had feared it would be, only not for the reasons she thought it would. She left Alex sleeping in bed after her first attempt at giving her a kiss good morning earned her an angry whine. So she padded downstairs alone, rubbing her eyes and trying to will away the headache she’d had since waking up. 

“Morning,” she mumbled when she saw her mom in the kitchen. 

While Maggie had her head in the fridge, trying to figure out what she wanted to eat, Tina asked, “How was last night?”

Maggie tried to remain calm, tried to keep her racing pulse in check. “Oh, it was fine. Fun. Alex got to meet some of my friends from Blue Springs. Tim and Heather.”

“Sounds fun. And were you out very late?”

“Not too late, no.”

“Good.” Maggie could tell there was something her mother wasn’t saying, but she didn’t know yet what it could be and tried to hold out hope that it wasn’t what she feared it would be. “How about you go take a cup of hot coffee up to Alex? Maybe bring up a donut too. It should help her get out of bed.”

“Okay… Why does she need to get out of bed at 8 on vacation?”

“She should be up at 8 on a Sunday, Margherita, so that we aren’t late for church.”

Maggie drew in a shaky breath, willing herself to be good, to not snap at her well-intentioned mother. “Ma, I don’t think Alex is particularly religious. Plus, we have grading to do.” She didn’t add that the last time she went to church was years ago…when she was home in Blue Springs and forcibly dragged out of bed one Christmas morning.

“I think it would be nice for our friends from town to meet her,” Tina suggested, her voice pointed and verging into authoritative.

“I think if the half of our so-called ‘friends’ from town knew who Alex was in relation to our family, they’d chase her right the fuck out of the church with pitchforks and crucifixes!” Maggie’s voice had risen to a yell. Now it really did feel like home again. The yelling woke Alex, who pulled on sweatpants and a sweatshirt with shaking hands and carefully made her way down the stairs. 

“Maggie, you’ve heard the new pope. Things are different now.” Alex wondered what Tina and Maggie were fighting about.

“Bullshit! One guy says maybe we can’t judge the homosexuals, but you’ve still got every fucking priest and cardinal in the country preaching the same old shit. The ‘hate the sin, not the sinner’ stuff. And those guys are the best I can fucking hope for. Because you’ve got the ones who hate the ‘sinners’ just as much, who tell me that I’m wrong for who I am. And guess what? Alex had enough internalized shame without religion. I’m not dragging her to sit in front of the same fucking prick who told me I was going to hell when I was in high school. End of story. No fucking discussion.”

Alex winced. She hadn’t heard these stories from Maggie, but she could also hear the pain in Tina’s voice as she tried to console her daughter, tried to explain that there was a new pastor, that religion and mass were still a part of her life, that she could still believe in God without listening to one small part of their teachings. She took a deep breath, willing her heart to slow down, and forced herself to walk into the kitchen. 

“Oh! Alex!” Tina said in shock. “Come in, come in. Sorry if we woke you.”

“No, not at all,” Alex lied. 

“Would you like some breakfast?”

“No thank you. I’m not feeling great.” Alex assumed it was due to the panic of being woken up by yelling and the anxiety that now coursed through her at not knowing how to diffuse the situation while keeping both Maggie and Tina happy.

“Are you sick, dear?” Tina asked, causing Alex to panic more.

“No, I’m sure that’s not it.” If she hoped enough, it wouldn’t be true, right? 

“Okay, then. Would you like to come to mass with the family today, hon? It’s your decision.”

“Ma! Don’t just spring that shit on someone.”

“And you shouldn’t make her choices for her!”

“You’re my mother, of course she’ll think she has to go if she wants to make a good impression! It’s not like you ever gave me a choice.”

Alex’s head spun as she followed the fight, trying to find a time to intervene, a way to keep the peace between the two Sawyer women. She dropped her head down to the cool marble counter, hoping to gather her thoughts.

Maggie and Tina noticed when Alex dropped down. “Baby, are you okay? Al? You don’t look so good.”

Maggie’s voice sounded like it was echoing in her head, swirling through something thick before Alex could comprehend the meaning of her words. “Mm, sure know how to make me feel good, Sawyer,” she mumbled.

Tina made her way to Alex’s side and lifted her head up off the table, feeling her cheeks with the back of her hand. “You’re burning up, hon.” Instantly, she transformed into mom mode. Maggie worried. She knew that her mom only got concerned if someone seemed really sick. “Maggie, go get the thermometer from the bathroom. Alex, you sit here. I’m putting on some water for tea. I’ll get you a glass of water too, but don’t drink it until we get your temperature taken, okay?”

Alex nodded. She felt like crying, which wasn’t a feeling she got with any sort of regularity. She prayed to whatever god she wasn’t going to see today to make her symptoms some sort of fluke, to make her better with just another hour or two of sleep. 

Maggie raced back into the kitchen, clutching a blanket and the thermometer. She carefully wrapped the blanket around Alex’s shoulders as she popped the thermometer into her mouth. “Now keep your mouth shut. Think you can do that for a whole minute, Danvers?”

Alex glared at Maggie, though the effect was significantly diminished, wrapped up as she was in layers of sweats and blankets. She closed her eyes as she waited for the results. When it finally beeped, Tina was the first to act, reaching over to pop the thermometer out of Alex’s mouth. 

“Oh, hon, no church for you today. 102. You’re staying home.”

“And I’m staying here to take care of her,” Maggie interjected.

“Of course. You’re a good girlfriend, Maggie.” Maggie smiled up at her mom, grateful for the end to the tension. 

“C’mere, Alex, let’s get you up to bed.”

“I think I have tea?” Alex mumbled, still confused but trying to hold it together until she was out of Tina’s sight.

“I’ll come back for it. Don’t you worry.” Maggie carefully scooped Alex up into her arms and carried her up the stairs, gently laying her down on the bed and covering her with additional layers of blankets. “I’m going to get your tea and water. Do you want anything to eat?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay. You stay right here. I’ll be back.”

Maggie came back in an instant, bearing a tray with a mug of hot tea, honey, lemons, water, crackers, orange juice. “Do you think you can eat? It’ll be good for you to take something for your fever and pain, but it’s better not to take most pills on an empty stomach.”

“Let me just drink something first.”

Alex sipped at her water, feeling it burn her throat. She wanted to cry, to yell, to blame someone for getting her sick. Instead she just asked in a small voice, “Why?”

“Why are you sick? I don’t know, Al. Everyone here is apparently sick. We were on a plane with that dry, recycled air. We had you out in the cold a lot. You’re probably still a little stressed about being here and getting your work done. But I’m here to take care of you, okay?”

“But won’t you get sick?”

“Nah. Clearly my immune system is just way better than yours,” Maggie teased. 

“Fuck off.” It was meant to sound annoyed, but it just sounded pitiful and soft. 

“You want to try some crackers? Or we can get you some drink that has calories. Ginger ale?”

“No, no. I’ll try the crackers. They’re just so dry,” Alex whined.

Maggie stifled a laugh. She didn’t like it when anyone was sick, but there was something to be said for a slightly delirious Alex being so upfront about whatever thoughts she had. “They are dry. We can get you a different snack.”

“Everything is dry!” Alex cried out, fighting back tears that threatened to spill. Now she was starting to remember one of the many reasons she hated being sick. High fevers always made her extra emotional, prone to fits of anger and upset.

“Oh sweetie, okay. Let’s try some of the tea, okay? Do you think you can keep down some food?”

“I do not throw up,” Alex snapped.

“Uh, okay, babe. It’s just, you do have a high fever.”

“And?”

“So I thought maybe you had the flu…and that’s a common enough symptom.”

“Not for me.”

“Okay…whatever you say, Al.”

“I don’t want you here anymore.”

Maggie was confused, but she figured it was more of the delirium. “Fine. I’ll go downstairs. I have my phone if you need anything. Just do me a favor and drink as much liquid as you can, eat some of the crackers, and make sure you take the Advil before you fall asleep again to help with the fever.”

Alex nodded, burrowing further under the blankets. Maggie shook her head, grabbed her phone and a stack of her own exams, and headed back downstairs.

“How’s she doing?” Tina asked when Maggie joined her in the living room.

“I don’t know. She’s being…I think she’s mad at me or something. All I’m doing is helping.”

Tina laughed at Maggie’s confusion. “Hon, not everyone reacts so well to being sick. Think about it from her perspective: she got sick (probably from one of us or your friends) on what was supposed to be her vacation, and she’s stuck in a home that’s not her own, probably worried about what type of impression she’s making now that she’s confined to bed, worried that she’s ruining all of our plans, disappointing you. And because she’s got a 102-degree fever, she’s not with it enough to voice all of that, so she’s just angry. And don’t forget, Margherita, about the temper tantrum you threw one Valentine’s Day when you were little.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Oh, I think you need to hear it again. You were what? Seven maybe. And you had written a card to Wonder Woman asking her to be your valentine. Come Valentine’s Day you were sick as a dog, quarantined up in your room with 103-degree fever. And when the mail got here, and you found out Wonder Woman didn’t write back, you were so angry. I think you shredded the valentine that your Nonna sent you.”

“Okay, I was seven. Also, was I really that gay as a kid?”

“Oh sweetie, of course you were. You told us softball was too girly; only baseball would do. And you were so upset when you got put into honors math because it meant you had to go take classes with that very sexy male teacher of yours instead of Ms. Brady.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Super gay.”

“But also, that’s what fevers do to people. So just give her some time to rest, then keep her company, okay?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“I’m still going to church, but you call if you need us to pick anything up on the way home. I already added ginger ale and ingredients for soup to the list.”

“Thanks, Ma. Love you.”

“Love you too, Maggie. Sorry for pushing you earlier. I just, I don’t know exactly, I wanted things to be different for you. I wanted to show you that you could come home to Blue Springs and be happy, see that it’s better than when you left.”

Maggie’s mouth twitched. “I think I just, I can’t quite get over some of that stuff as easily. But you have to know I’m trying. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You are. Now I’m going to leave before I tear up and have to redo my face.”


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of anxiety and phobia in the beginning, but the second half is total fluff

Once her parents left, Maggie crept upstairs to check on Alex, only to find her fast asleep, the bowl of crackers perched precariously on the edge of the bed. She moved them to the bedside table, pleased to see most of the water and tea gone and the Advil taken.

After another hour or so of grading, Maggie’s phone dinged with a text: “I’m up. Also bored. Keep me company?”

Rolling her eyes, Maggie finished the last exam she was on and made her way back to the guest room. “Hello, princess.”

“Hey.”

“How ya feeling?”

“Shitty. You?”

“Just tired. Spent my morning grading.”

“Ugh,” Alex groaned. “I still need to finish that.”

“It’s okay, you’ve got a few days left.”

“I know, but I don’t like waiting until the last minute.”

“Do you want to try to grade in bed? I can bring my stuff up here too and grade with you.”

“You’d do that with me? Even though I’m sick and germy?”

“What else are girlfriends for?”

“Sex,” Alex joked.

“I see you’re feeling a little better.”

“I think the medicine helped.”

Maggie nodded, then helped get both of them set up in bed with a pile of blue books in front of them. “How come your pile is so small?”

“Oh, I started the first day we were here.”

“Cheater,” Maggie huffed.

“Procrastinator,” Alex shot back.

Alex managed to finish grading her exams and start reading the first of lab reports before her head dropped back to the pillow, pen clattering against the floor. Maggie carefully moved the papers over to the dresser and went back to her own exams. By the time she had finished them, her parents were home and had checked in on the two women. Maggie motioned that they would eat later, when Alex woke up. By that point, Maggie was exhausted herself—tired, she assumed, from all of the grading and the fight with her mother. She curled up next to Alex, nuzzling her head into Alex’s neck and quickly falling asleep.

Maggie woke up when Alex rocked the bed. “Hey, sorry,” Alex murmured, “Do you want some lunch? Your mom caught me on my way to the bathroom.”

Maggie sat upright and immediately regretted it as her head spun with the effort. “Oh, I don’t feel so good.”

“What kind of unwell?” Alex asked.

“Everything is spinning, and I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

“Then get the fuck out of bed!” Alex snapped, feeling her heart rate spike.

“Stop fucking yelling! It’s an expression. I’m dizzy and nauseous. You could at least try to be nice.”

“I’ll be nice when I know you’re not going to throw up.”

“What the fuck is up with you, Al?” Maggie was angry enough now to ignore the dull ache behind her eyes, the stiffness of her joints, and the chill that had seeped into her bones.

Alex opened her mouth a few times before finally breaking down, quiet sobs wracking her body. Maggie looked on helplessly. “Uh, Alex? What’s going on?”

“Nothing! Just, I’m fine. Stop talking.”

“Clearly you’re not okay. You’re trembling.”

“I just, it’s a stupid phobia, whatever, okay?”

“A phobia of what?”

“Vomit. Emetophobia. It’s a thing.”

“Didn’t you want to be a doctor?” Maggie teased, immediately realizing that was the wrong response.

“I wanted to do research in a lab,” Alex sneered.

“Okay, sorry, it’s just, well, isn’t everyone sort of freaked out about throwing up? It’s an unpleasant experience.”

“Ugh, you don’t fucking get it. No one does. It’s just, it’s crippling, okay? Like, my body stops working I’m so fucking panicked. But I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know. I tried to see someone about it once. Well, not by choice. But she said something about control issues, and I checked out because fuck that. Not everything is about my control issues, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting things a certain way.”

“Okay, I have to ask, how were you forced to see someone? A therapist, I assume.”

“Eh, it was part of the plan I was given.”

“A plan?”

“I, er, I got sort of arrested. But it was by campus police. For public indecency.”

“I am really struggling to get where all of this connects.”

“I may have been, uh, peeing in the bushes. Because some drunk girl threw up all over the bathroom of the bar, and fuck that shit.”

“Okay…”

“So some campus cop found me with my pants around my ankles really drunk and took me in. But I wasn’t that drunk, so once the panic attack ended, I was able to explain what had happened. They still thought I was crazy and drunk, but they told me I could go to campus counseling and do some community service without having it go into my academic record or anything. Hence the therapy.”

“Alright. Interesting. Confusing, I won’t lie. I have to ask, and you can say no, but how do you have this phobia with the sheer amount of time you spent in bars and clubs during grad school? Also, haven’t you been blackout drunk?”

“Well, if I threw up while blackout drunk, at least I have no memory of it. Also, I mainly went to the clubs to find some man to take home…so I didn’t really have to use their bathrooms. It was more of an in-and-out mission. Find some guy. Get him to buy me enough shots for me to go home with him. Go fuck. End up in my own bed.”

“I guess you sort of have that down to an art, huh?”

“I mean, it didn’t make anything pretty, but it worked. And it’s not like I was out drinking a lot after Hank found me. I just got drunk in my apartment when shit hit the fan, like when Kara came out as Supergirl or you made me wonder if I really was a lesbian.”

“Sorry,” Maggie muttered.

“It’s okay. It was true. And I’m certainly happier now that it’s out, now that I’m out.”

“Right. Yeah.”

“So how are you feeling?”

“Pretty terrible. But not like I’m going to throw up terrible.”

“More like you just got run over by a truck, which then backed up and over you a few more times just to make sure you were dead?”

“Pretty accurate, Danvers.”

“Yeah…I’m right there with you. We should check your temperature.” 

“The thermometer is downstairs.”

They both stared at each other, wondering who would lose and have to get up. “I’ve been sick longer,” Alex argued.

“Yeah, so you’ve had time to get used to feeling like shit. This is brand new to me.”

“You might not even be as sick as I am. You haven’t taken your temperature.”

After a few minutes of the stalemate, Maggie finally grabbed her phone and called her mom. 

“Hey, Ma.” … “I think I’m sick.” … “Yeah, same thing. Could you bring up the thermometer?” … “Thank you.”

\---

One high temperature reading later, both Maggie and Alex were tucked in bed with bowls of soup and lots of water and tea on their bedside tables. Mateo even brought in one of the TVs so that they could relax and watch something instead of “grading themselves to death.” They quickly decided on Buffy, and finished the second season by dinnertime. 

By Christmas Eve, Maggie and Alex had made their way through the entirety of the third season and the first few episodes of the fourth. Even with the binge watching, both women had somehow managed to finish their grading and submit their course grades in advance of the deadline, leaving them plenty of time to snuggle in bed without fear of catching anything from the other. 

Mateo too had succumbed to the flu that was wreaking havoc on everyone’s holiday plans, leaving Tina to tend to the family, brushing aside Alex’s apologies with a wave and a refrain: “Mothers have a way of staying well.” Watching Tina dote on Maggie, Alex was tempted to take notes in case she was ever expected to do the same in the future. For instance, Maggie would only eat name-brand Saltines when sick (otherwise generics were just fine); she gagged on any traces of pulp in her orange juice; she pouted if someone tried to turn off the television, even if it seemed like she was half-asleep; and if her throat hurt, she would eat only soup and vegan ice cream. Maggie, of course, was making similar notes about Alex. Even if Tina didn’t have any particular insight to offer, Maggie could figure a few things out; she had been a detective, after all—she detected. So she knew that Alex liked being distracted with comedy shows and light stories when she wasn’t feeling well; the higher her fever was, the closer she was to both tears and yelling; she got mean—not just snappy, but bitingly mean—if she thought there was a threat of vomit in her general vicinity; and she clung to Maggie like a koala bear when she fell asleep, the warmth of Maggie’s body a welcome antidote to the chills that had overtaken her too many nights since she got sick. 

While Tina reluctantly cancelled their Christmas Eve plans, everyone was determined to rally for Christmas Day, ensuring that Tina would get at least some holiday cheer in her life. Come Christmas morning, the rest of the family did finally feel a little better, and they managed to shuffle downstairs to gather around the tree with mugs of hot tea and boxes of tissues at the ready. 

Seeing as there weren’t any children around for this part of the day, the morning was more about the company than the presents, which were kept to a minimum. Maggie had helped Alex pick out small gifts for her parents before they left National City—a box of Tina’s favorite Italian candies, a nice bottle of wine, and a new book from one of Mateo’s favorite historians—and Tina and Mateo gifted Alex tins of homemade cookies and a photo album “for future memories” that had the first few pages filled with some of the photos Tina took during Alex’s first couple days in Blue Springs. Having agreed to keep things inexpensive, Maggie and Alex exchanged smaller gifts: Alex received a wok and a homemade recipe book with the dishes Maggie had taught and hoped to teach Alex to make, while Maggie got a vintage Barenaked Ladies t-shirt she’d wanted (a confession that had earned a very excited smile from Alex, who also still loved the band unironically) and a National City University t-shirt and notebook for some “school pride.” 

The rest of the morning was spent talking over pancakes and coffee, the three “patients” still clad in pajamas and wrapped in blankets. Alex delighted in the opportunity to hear all about Maggie’s most embarrassing childhood moments, hesitating only momentarily when Maggie reminded her that she would be able to hear from Eliza about Alex’s in the coming days. But, after a moment of consideration, Alex decided it was absolutely worth it to hear more about a very young Maggie’s unrequited love for Wonder Woman and the time a slightly older Maggie drove a tractor all the way across town to her aunt’s house when she got mad at her mom—over what? Neither of them could really remember, but Maggie knew it was the end of the world in middle school.

The two women spent the next hour or two packing for their trip to Midvale the following day. Although neither of them was particularly happy about having gotten sick, it did mean that they had barely unpacked. They debated pushing their plane tickets back another day or two, but after seeing the last minute ticket prices, they decided to suck it up and take as much medicine as they could before the flight. 

Tina managed to talk the girls into accompanying her to Elena’s house for Christmas dinner, since Mateo, having caught the bug later than the girls, was back in bed for the day. After checking that Alex really did feel up to an afternoon out, Maggie led her out to the car. While they showered, Tina had relayed the message that this year would be very casual, as half the family was still in the throes of or just getting better from the flu. 

The dinner was fun and, as promised, casual. Maggie whispered introductions and reminders about any family member who approached. Alex never expected to feel so grateful to Tina for having everyone over that first night; without those introductions out of the way, she wondered if she would have ever gotten to eat…


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of fluff in Midvale

One long set of goodbyes, a couple decongestants and Advil, and a plane ride later, Maggie and Alex arrived at the Midvale airport. Almost as soon as they had grabbed their luggage, Alex and Maggie found themselves swept up in a bone-crushing hug as Kara squealed about how happy she was to see them. “It’s been so long! Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy almost New Year! How are you? How was the trip? Did Alex behave herself?”

Alex, still a bit off from the flight and all of the medication, just patted Kara on the head. “It went well. But maybe we get out of the airport before we go over every single detail?”

“Fine! You sound sick. Are you sick?” Kara turned her attention to Maggie when Alex nodded. “Was she nice to you? She’s the absolute worst person ever when she’s sick, and I say this as someone who generally likes everyone.” 

Maggie chuckled, “A little warning might have been nice on that facet of her personality, little Danvers. But she was actually quite well-behaved once we got her set up with some snacks and television.”

Kara looked genuinely surprised, but shook it off to focus on Maggie’s congested voice: “Are you sick too? Oh god, did you get her sick? No, you wouldn’t still be alive…right? Or did she reform you, Alex?”

Alex shook her head, pushing Kara’s shoulder. “You make me sound like a horrible human being. We all caught the same bug, but we’re getting better. Mom should be safe at this point; it’s been a few days. Now can I see her?”

“Oh! I told Eliza to wait in the car. The parking lot is a zoo. Here, let me take your bags,” Kara offered, reaching out and easily scooping all of the luggage into her arms as she led the two women out to the car. 

During the drive home, Alex and Maggie filled Eliza and Kara in on the trip. Eliza also expressed her genuine surprise at the fact that Alex and Maggie’s relationship had survived their first round of illness. Alex tried to distract from that conversation by passing her phone up to the front seat to show her family all of the photos she had taken during her pre-flu days. Upon seeing the piles of snow and the aftermath of their snowball fight, Kara demanded that she be taken to Blue Springs with them on their next winter trip and promised not to use her powers to cheat in any snow games. 

When they got back to the house, Alex kissed Maggie’s hand, pulling her out of the backseat. She hadn’t expected to be excited about showing Maggie where she grew up, but apparently the woman was going to upend all of her assumptions about relationships and how they fit into her life. “We’ll save the town for tomorrow. Right now, let me give you the grand tour of the house,” Alex gestured in front of them with an exaggerated flourish. 

“I got the bags, really, yeah, don’t worry about it at all!” Kara yelled, though her sarcasm was overshadowed by the big grin on her face at seeing how happy her sister looked. 

“You eat all my food. The least you can do is carry my shit,” Alex teased back. 

Leading Maggie into the house, Alex began her tour: “Well, you just walked over the front porch. Let’s all ooh and ah; very fancy right here. Good for stargazing, if you’re up for it.” Maggie nodded, imagining that it might be romantic, though, if she were being honest, it would probably turn into Alex dorking out and correcting her pronunciation of various stars and constellations. Either way, it would remind her of why she loved the woman. She was pulled back into the moment by Alex’s voice. “And this is the living room. Nothing special, I guess. Television, if we want to continue watching Buffy. Now that we’ve finally gotten to the lesbians, I am significantly more invested. Uh, over there is the dining room. That’s the table that Kara dove under when she got so scared of our popcorn maker.”

“Wait what?”

“Oh yeah, when she first got here she had some trouble adjusting to her super-senses. Being a broody teenager, I thought she was annoying, but there was something so sweet and pitiful about seeing this girl crying under my table because my mom thought we should have popcorn. I think that’s the moment when, I don’t know, I really started to feel like her big sister.”

Maggie threw her arm around Alex’s waist, pulling the woman in close to her. “And that’s why Kara is so lucky to have found someone like you. She found someone who would probably love her enough to step in front of a bullet for her goddam bulletproof alien sister.”

Alex brushed off the compliment and continued, “That’s the kitchen. You’ll notice it’s fully stocked out of necessity. There are stairs to the basement, but it’s storage and my mom’s office/lab space. Now, if you’ll follow me upstairs?” Maggie nodded and let Alex lead her up the stairs by the hand. “The most important room of the house: my bedroom.”

“Trying to get me into your room already, Danvers?”

“You wish, Sawyer.”

“No, I know. But come on, give me the grand tour. Impress me.”

Alex suddenly felt nervous. It wasn’t as though she spent much time in her bedroom, and she really couldn’t remember what sorts of embarrassing things might still be in there from high school. “Please don’t judge me.”

“You didn’t judge me.”

“That’s because you had family sleeping in your bedroom! We barely got any time to explore.”

“It’s more because we came down with the flu. Promise, next visit I’ll let you see every embarrassing thing that survived my mom’s cleaning sprees.”

“Fine.”

Maggie stepped into the room, looking around to get a better understanding of what a young Alex Danvers liked. She expected some of it—a collection of books piled high on large bookshelves and blue walls plastered with posters from concerts and punk rock bands—but was surprised by the large surfboard propped against a wall and a row of surfing trophies. “You surf?”

“Nah, I just buy the trophies on ebay,” Alex deadpanned.

“Shut up! It’s not something we talked about, that’s all. Do you miss it?”

“Yeah. It was a nice way to get out on my own for a while. A few of my friends surfed too, but early mornings were just about me. Calming down before the stress of the day hit.”

“So you never took Kara?”

“Absolutely not. I mean first there was the whole cool teenager who doesn’t need her little sister doing everything she does thing. But Kara also didn’t really like the ocean for her first few years. The pollution had gotten so bad on Krypton that they didn’t really have these types of habitable bodies of water. And the waves and crowds freaked her out.”

“That makes sense. I always wanted to try surfing. Maybe it was just the thrill of something that involved being near water. Nebraska, you know, for all its charms, it’s still a landlocked state.”

“Maybe I could teach you some day?”

“You ever teach anyone?”

“Yeah, actually. Over the summers I would teach kids on weekend to earn some extra cash.”

“Very cool. But you do know that it’s a lot different to teach something to someone you’re in a relationship with, right?”

“How hard can it be?”

“Oh lord. If that’s your attitude…”

“Come on! I’m not that bad.”

“No, but that’s the same attitude I had when I tried to teach one of my exes how to ride a bike. And guess what? No one likes looking clumsy and bad at something in front of a person they still vaguely want to impress.”

“I wouldn’t judge you.”

“Yeah…maybe. But I think you’d be surprised at how quickly we’d get defensive and annoyed with each other.”

“I did teach Vicky…”

“Now you’re just trying to make me jealous.”

“Is it working?”

“Eh. It’s too cold to think about surfing now.”

“That’s not a no, Sawyer!”

“It’s not a yes either.”

While Maggie was browsing through Alex’s books, Kara came bouncing into the room. “Guys! It has been so boring without you, and now you’re here, but you’re totally ignoring me. I gave you almost an hour. Please come do something with me!”

“Mom said you disappeared on Christmas night,” Alex shot back. “That doesn’t sound boring.”

“Okay, fine, I went to visit Lena. But still! That was just last night…and the night before. But how does Eliza even know? I waited until she was asleep. It’s not like I wanted her to feel abandoned over the holidays.”

“I think we’re both finding out that mom knows more than we ever thought she did,” Alex laughed. 

“Whatever, right now, that’s not what’s important!”

“What is important, little Danvers?” Maggie asked.

“That you entertain me!”

“Oh my god, you’re acting just like you did in high school,” Alex whined, her smile giving away the teasing edge to her tone. 

“Yeah well, you and Vicky were always shutting the door on me.”

“Wonder what they could have been doing…” Maggie rolled her eyes, wondering how in the world Alex had gone so many years without admitting she was gay. 

“Moving on,” Alex interjected. “Fine, do you have any ideas?”

“I have board games in my closet!” Kara said excitedly, pulling the other two behind her. Maggie chuckled when she caught sight of Kara’s room, which was decorated with an equal mix of boy band posters and Superman paraphernalia. Kara wasted no time in diving into her closet, emerging seconds later with a stack of games. “We’ve got Life and Clue and Sorry and Monopoly and-”

Alex interjected, “Let’s just bring down a few okay? And not Monopoly…not after last time.”

“You mean when you threw the board because you landed on Winn’s hotel and lost?”

“I didn’t lose!” Alex pouted. “The game was tragically interrupted by an abrupt wind, and so we were unable to find out what would have happened.”

Maggie let out a loud, barking laugh, while Kara just shook her head, knowing better than to press the issue. She and Winn would always know what happened that night.

“Fine. I’ll save it for when Lena is here. She’s an actual CEO.”

“When is she getting in, by the way?” Maggie asked, genuinely excited to see the other woman.

“Tomorrow!” Kara squealed, levitating in the air. “Well, tomorrow night. She still has work all day, but she’ll be here for the full weekend. When are you guys going back?”

“Monday night,” Alex answered. “I know it’s a shorter trip, but I want to be back for New Years Eve and have some time to get settled before the new semester starts.”

“Okay, cool. I’ll probably fly back then too.”

“Does that mean we have to take your luggage?”

“It’s just a few things…” Kara trailed off, looking up at Alex with her best puppydog eyes. 

“Ugh, you’re the worst. You’re at least coming to the airport to help us carry our luggage.”

“Deal! Now pick a game. Should we invite Eliza to play?”

“Yeah, sure,” Alex shrugged. “I’ll go ask her.” Maggie followed Kara downstairs while Alex knocked on Eliza’s door.

“Yes?” Eliza called.

“Hey, Mom. We’re all gonna play a board game. Want to come down and play with us? We can do something easy like order pizza for dinner.”

“That sounds wonderful, sweetie. I’ll be down in just a few minutes.”

By the time Alex made it back downstairs, Kara and Maggie had narrowed it down to two games: Clue or Life. “No way are we playing Clue. Maggie was a detective. It’d be like playing Monopoly with Lena.”

“Afraid of losing, Danvers?”

“Uh, no. I don’t lose. But maybe we should play Life where your luck is determined by the spin of a wheel.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Maggie said, shaking her head. “But yeah, let’s get the game set up. Is your mom coming down too?”

“Yeah, she’ll just be a couple of minutes. She said we could order pizza for dinner that way no one has to do dishes.” 

Before Alex could even ask, Kara was already on the phone with her favorite pizzeria in Midvale, requesting an obscene amount of food for just four people, while Maggie and Alex got the game board ready. 

Pretty soon, they were moving their small cars around the track, everyone but Eliza adding a second pink peg to their car when they crossed the “Get married!” square. Eliza chimed in, “I remember when Alex was little—oh, maybe seven or eight—and she would play with Jeremiah and me. She used to get so upset that the directions said she should get a blue peg to go in the car with her because, and I’ll quote, ‘Boys are gross! I just want my best friend to come with me.’”

Maggie choked on her drink, nearly spitting it across the board as she laughed loudly. “Danvers! Seriously, how did you come out until you were 30?”

“The instructions told me to get a blue peg! I follow instructions well.”

“You’ll recall that we let you take a pink peg, though,” Eliza added, earning a smile from Maggie, who was always pleased to see reminders of how accepting Alex’s family had been, despite the woman’s fears. 

“Yeah, yeah. They should probably change those instructions,” Alex grumbled.

“I believe our board is from the 70s, dear. They might have at this point.”

“Oh…that would explain the abnormally low salaries,” Maggie laughed.

By the time the pizza arrived, they were already wrapping up their first game, Kara having won by a landslide thanks to landing on just about every “Have a child!” spot on the board and reaping the rewards at the end of the game. 

While Kara went to get the pizzas (and to eat half of one on the way from the door to the kitchen), Maggie turned to Eliza. “You know, I really loved that story about Alex and the pink peg. I sure would love to hear more about Alex growing up.”

Sensing Maggie’s intentions, Eliza grinned broadly. “Oh, I have so many pictures too. After dinner we can spend all night looking at photos and reminiscing.”

“We’ll probably be too tired tonight, but maybe later,” Alex offered, though Eliza and Maggie both shook their heads.

“You got to hear all about my embarrassing moments from my mom. Now it’s your turn, Danvers.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” Alex muttered. 

While Eliza was hiding her smile behind her hand, Kara had no such compunctions about calling out Alex for her voiced affections. “You told her?”

“Did you tell your sister before me?” Maggie asked, her tone teasing and light.

“Not really…she said something about wanting to tell Lena, then a few days later, I texted her and told her I felt the same way about you. Not like I was asking for advice. Anyway, you said it first!”

“And you said it back.”

“Yeah,” Alex smiled, “I did.”


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fluff continues in Midvale with a promise of smut in the next chapter ;)

After a long night’s sleep, both Maggie and Alex woke up feeling almost back to normal, glad to be out of the worst of the illness.

“Morning,” Alex said, kissing Maggie’s forehead.

“Morning,” Maggie yawned back, still stretching.

“You sleep okay?”

“Slept like the dead,” Maggie laughed.

“I like having you here. In my bed.”

“Yeah?” Maggie asked, wondering if this discussion was going where she hoped it might be going. 

“Mhm.”

“Should we stay in bed a little longer?”

“Not now. But maybe we wind up back in bed when my mom goes to the grocery store.”

“How do you know she’ll go to the grocery store?”

“Kara is home. She ends up at Costco like every other day when that girl is around.”

“Right, right. Well I’ll hold you to it.”

Alex chuckled, pulling the covers off of them and earning a sleepy glare from Maggie, who wrapped her arms around herself and pouted. “Well, I’m going downstairs to get breakfast before Kara finishes everything…”

“Fine! I’m coming too.”

A few minutes later, they traipsed down the stairs, the smell of French toast luring them into the kitchen. Eliza handed off two plates, whispering conspiratorially, “I saved these for you. Now go before she can steal them too!”

“Thanks, Eliza!” Maggie beamed. They shuffled into the dining room where they found Kara devouring her own large stack, which was doused in an ungodly amount of syrup. 

“What do you guys have planned for today?” Kara asked, mumbling through a mouth full of food.

“I want to take Maggie around to show her the town, probably walk down to the beach. What about you?”

“Uh, I was thinking about maybe flying around a little this morning…”

“Flying to National City you mean? To visit a certain someone who will be here tonight?”

“A girl never reveals her secrets.”

“Except you’re blushing. And you only get that red if you’re thinking about your girlfriend. Or catching someone else having sex…either way.”

“Okay, yeah, well this time it’s Lena. But I’ll only be gone for an hour. I want her to finish work on time because the faster she’s done, the sooner she’ll get here! And then I promised Eliza I would help her pick up some groceries this afternoon, that way we’re all ready for Lena.”

“Right…because Lena is the one who needs enough food to feed an army?” Alex teased, making Maggie chuckle. 

“Rude. I have a healthy appetite.” Kara quickly refocused her attention on their plans. “Tomorrow! You’re still free, right? I want us to all go to the winter carnival!” 

“What’s this?” Maggie asked.

“Alex!” Kara whined, “You didn’t tell her?”

“Mags, you were there when Kara first talked about it. At dinner with Lena, remember? It’s like your average carnival, but everything is winter themed.”

“Don’t undersell it! It’s so much more than that. Yes, sure, everything is winter themed, but the snacks are totally different. They have hot cocoa and cookies and Belgian waffles with chocolate,” Kara waxed on about the food for a while longer until Alex cleared her throat. “Right! But it’s so much fun. And everyone takes their dates to it, but Alex and I never took our dates. She always just went with Vicky…oh. Were those dates?”

“I don’t know. No. We were just friends.”

“Right,” Maggie said, drawing out the word in disbelief. 

“Speaking of Vicky, she’s in town too. Should we invite her?”

“Yeah!” Kara exclaimed. “I miss her. I see her on campus sometimes, did she tell you?”

“She mentioned it,” Alex chuckled. “You okay with that, Mags?”

“Of course. She did help get us together in a way.”

“She did…making me open up and all. Plus, she totally made you jealous.”

“Me? What? Pfft, no.”

“You’re about as convincing as I was when I kept insisting I was straight,” Alex teased.

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Kara said, clearing her plate and heading off to the kitchen. 

“Can we shower before our day out on the town?” Maggie asked.

“Oh yeah. Can you grab our plates while I find us some towels and stuff?”

“Yeah sure.”

\---

Finally showered and dressed for what was thankfully much warmer weather than what they had experienced in Blue Springs, Maggie and Alex called out their goodbyes to Eliza and Kara, who was pulling on her supersuit for her flight down to National City. 

“Where to first?” Maggie asked.

“The beach. It’s in walking distance, so we’ll start there.”

As they walked, Alex pointed out different homes of friends she had growing up. A lot of them had since moved, though there were a few houses where she thought the parents might have stuck around. When they got to one street corner, Alex paused. “This is where I crashed my bike and broke my wrist.”

“Were you little?”

“Third grade, I think. Some of the neighborhood boys were saying that girls couldn’t go as fast, so I had to prove them wrong.”

“Of course you did.”

“And I was faster. By a lot. But then one of them panicked about how fast we were riding and veered into me, so I got thrown off my bike because he was too stupid to just brake.”

“You sound like you’re still angry about that,” Maggie laughed.

“I am!” Alex yelled back, indignation lacing her voice. “They should have just admitted that I was faster than they were.”

“I’m sure now they know better.”

“Eh, maybe.”

They continued their tour of the surrounding neighborhoods, soon approaching the sandy shores of the beach. Maggie watched as Alex’s whole demeanor changed, the lingering stress from her story seeming to dissipate in the sea breeze. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back slightly, letting a rush of memories flood over her. Some of her happiest moments in Midvale had been spent right here, and she didn’t want to lose sight of that in the hurt that too often tinged her memories of home: the pain of losing Jeremiah and feeling deep inside herself that she would never be enough for Eliza, could never compare with Kara, her beautiful, perfect foster sister. 

Sensing Alex’s mood, Maggie shuffled closer to her, wrapping an arm around Alex’s waist and letting her head drop to the taller woman’s shoulder. “You ever kiss someone on the beach, Danvers?”

“Hmm? Yeah, a couple times.” Seeing Maggie’s crestfallen look, Alex hastened to add, “But never anyone I loved.”

“You wanna fix that?” Maggie asked, her tone light and flirty.

Alex didn’t answer with words, pulling Maggie in by her belt loops and pressing their lips together. Alex smiled into the kiss, feeling more at peace than she had in a long time, the gentle wind catching the ends of their hair, the sound of waves crashing in the distance, Maggie’s tongue teasing at her lips. 

Eventually, Alex managed to pull away. “More of this later, but I really do want to show you the ocean!”

They ran down the beach together, kicking up sand as they went. When they finally got close to the water, Alex pulled Maggie out just a bit further, letting her dip her fingers into the Pacific “for good measure” before pulling them back to the sand before the waves could soak their shoes. The pair sat on the beach for a while, enjoying the view while trading stories from their adolescent years. Eventually they decided to head back for an early lunch, Alex explaining that she wanted to borrow the car before Eliza and Kara went to the store.

After a quick lunch, Alex grabbed the keys, yelling her thanks to Eliza for letting her borrow the car, and dragged Maggie out to the driveway. 

“Where are we off to now?”

“You’ll see.”

“Hey, c’mon, a hint?”

“Nope! Just let yourself be surprised, Sawyer.”

First they pulled up in front of a coffee shop. “You thirsty?” Maggie asked.

“No, well, sure, yeah, I’ll get something. Do you want anything?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess maybe a tea would be nice. But why are we here if the main purpose isn’t to get coffee?”

“This is where I used to come to do all of my work. Also my first ever job.”

“You were a barista? Very lesbian of you.”

“Eh, it didn’t work out too well. I don’t think I’m enough of a ‘people person’ for customer service.”

“You deal with people, students, daily…”

“Yes, and when they’re not listening to me or not doing their work, I get to correct them. Apparently that’s frowned upon when you’re making someone’s drink.”

“Ah, yes. I can see that being an issue.”

“It was fine. I made it a couple of months, so I wasn’t the worst hire they’d ever had. But I spent so much time here, I thought it was only fitting to bring you here.”

Maggie smiled and let Alex guide her inside. They ordered their drinks, and Alex led Maggie to the back where a staircase was slightly hidden by a bookshelf. “Are you sure we’re allowed up here?”

“Absolutely. It’s just to keep out the handful of tourists who make their way into town during the summer.”

“I see. And I’m not a tourist?”

“No, you’re dating one of their best customers.”

“Their best customer who hasn’t been back in ages.”

“I spent enough on coffee here to still be a regular, I promise,” Alex winked. She pulled Maggie into a leather sofa in the back corner.

“This where you did your work?”

“No…I worked at that table over there,” Alex said, gesturing to a wooden table on the side of the stairwell. “But I brought company to this couch. I didn’t have a huge number of friends, but I had a couple close ones. We hung out up here on Saturday nights sometimes. The staff would let us stay after closing while they cleaned up. Eventually they’d kick us out, but it was nice. We had our place, you know?”

“Yeah, I get that. So paint me a picture. What does high school Alex Danvers look like?”

“Uh, probably some jeans and a hoodie, honestly. If I was doing work, I’d have glasses on, a pile of books in front of me. Definitely one of those people that glared at other customers if they were too loud.”

“If you liked silence, why would you come here?”

“Oh, it was definitely still better than trying to work at home.”

“I get that,” Maggie conceded. They talked more about their favorite classes and teachers in high school while they finished their drinks, finally returning their mugs and heading back outside. “Where to next?” Maggie asked, wandering toward the car.

“You’ll see,” Alex teased, pulling Maggie away from the car. “We’re walking now that we’re in the little town center.” Giving up on the questions, Maggie let Alex lead her down the block. Alex’s grip tightened and her posture tensed each time they passed someone, but she never let go of Maggie’s hand. 

“You okay, Al?”

“Yeah. It’s just, I don’t know, I think we might be the first lesbian couple a lot of these people have ever seen.”

“Really?”

“Eh, at least one of the first few who was so out in the open about it. It can be a little conservative around here, even if the people are friendly for the most part.” Maggie nodded in understanding.

Eventually they ended up in front of a bookstore. Alex dragged Maggie in, excitedly whispering, “Okay, so my dad knew this place better than I did, but after the dentist, he would let me come over here and help me find a new science fiction novel to bring home. I haven’t really been back since then…”

Maggie saw the wistfulness in Alex’s expression and squeezed her hand. Alex shook her head, trying to get back into the moment. The store was exactly as she remembered it. It smelled faintly of dust and mildew and used books, and the bookshelves groaned under heavy loads. A cat (orange now, the brown tabby presumably having passed on) wound around their ankles as they stood browsing, and the owner of the shop, a genial if slightly eccentric older man, came out to greet them. He asked what they were looking for and showed them around the store, pointing out new acquisitions and novels he thought they might enjoy. He continued to refer to them as “friends,” but while pouring through the new artwork that had come in, he pulled out a map of the Seven Sisters colleges and suggested that Alex might like to see it. Maggie smiled to herself, figuring the man knew, but was of an era when “friends” and “roommates” were the preferred terms. After almost an hour, the women left, laden down with a bag of new purchases that neither had been expecting.

When they dropped the books in the car, Alex caught sight of the time and said apologetically, “I know we didn’t do all of the things I wanted to, but would you be okay if we just drive around town really quickly while I point out a few things, then we’ll head back home? I just know that mom really wants the car back soon. Sorry! I didn’t know how long we would take in the bookstore.”

“Hey, it’s really okay, Alex. I had a lot of fun.”

“But we only did the coffee shop and the bookstore.”

“We also looked in the windows of all the little shops we walked past.”

“I guess…”

“Alex, I promise, I had fun. It’s nice getting to see where you come from, you know.”

“Alright, don’t go getting too soft on me, Sawyer.”

“Mhm, like you’re not a huge softy sometimes.”

“And you tell no one about that, deal?”

“Same goes for you.” They giggled in agreement.

After driving around for a few minutes, Alex pointing out all of the most important spots in town, they headed back to the house, finding Kara inside demolishing the last of the bread. “How is it that every time I’ve seen you today, you’ve been eating?” Alex asked.

“Uh, because you haven’t been around that much today. Plus, I had a long flight. Really revs up the metabolism.”

“Yeah, sure, the flying is what burned up all those calories. Where did you go flying off to again?” Alex teased, causing Eliza to cover her ears and pretend like she heard nothing she didn’t want to hear. 

“You ready to head out, dear?” Eliza asked, choosing to ignore Alex’s teasing remarks. 

“Yeah! Oh, add cereal to the list.”

“I picked up an extra box that’s in the pantry already.” 

“Yeah…I know. So you should probably just add cereal,” Kara admitted, blushing slightly, to which Eliza just shook her head.


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some smut to make up for the distinct *lack* of Sanvers-in-bed scenes, which apparently only go to other couples...

Once Eliza and Kara drove off, Alex turned to Maggie. “I believe we now have the house to ourselves.”

“Really? How should we celebrate? It is your childhood home. Do we drink shitty beer and invite all of your friends over?”

“Hmm…I think I know a few things that would be a lot more fun.”

“More fun that warm Natty Light and a bunch of randos you didn’t know that much suddenly showing up and breaking shit? How could what you have to offer possibly compete?”

Alex laughed, pulling Maggie in close for a playful kiss that soon turned heated, Alex’s teeth tugging on Maggie’s lower lip, her hands tangled in the woman’s long hair. Maggie’s fingers dug into Alex’s hips, drawing her closer. They stumbled forward blindly until Alex’s back hit a wall. Maggie pressed her advantage, releasing Alex’s lips as she trailed kisses down Alex’s jaw and neck, nipping softly, while her hands quickly untucked Alex’s shirt, trailing up her abs and across her chest. She unhooked Alex’s bra, not caring that her shirt was still on, just needing, desperately needing, to feel Alex underneath her. Alex moaned at the touches, pushing her thigh up in between Maggie’s legs, licking her lips when she felt Maggie grind back down against her, whimpering at the contact. 

In an instant, clothes were being shed, thrown off as hands found skin that had been covered up in pajamas and blankets for far too many days. Maggie pulled Alex’s shirt over her shoulders, while Alex let her already unhooked bra drop to the floor, quickly moving her hands to pull Maggie’s jeans down. Eventually Maggie stepped back and pulled the rest of her own clothes off, needing to have this step out of the way, needing to feel all of Alex against her. She made quick work of Alex’s pants, stripping off the last layer before meeting the redhead in a heated kiss, her fingers wandering across the planes of Alex’s body, skimming, touching, scratching all of the skin they found. Alex gasped at each touch, moaning loudly at Maggie’s hands being everywhere but where she needed them to be. 

Alex dragged Maggie down the floor, too turned on to care about the germs and the mess and the propriety of the situation, their bodies splayed out half in the kitchen and half in the dining room. Maggie quickly rolled on top of Alex, sensing that now wasn’t the time for teasing or games. She dropped her hands lower, her fingers finding Alex wet for her, desperate for her. She pushed one finger inside of Alex, groaning at the feeling, at how much she had missed this.

“Maggie,” Alex panted.

“Yeah? You okay?”

“Fine. Just, come up here.”

Maggie gave her a puzzled look before moving back up to kiss Alex. 

“No, I mean I want to taste you while you fuck me.” 

Alex blushed, her confidence wavering slightly until Maggie’s face lit up. “Oh! Yeah!” Maggie crawled around, carefully straddling Alex’s face. Alex pulled Maggie’s hips down more, drawing the woman closer to her. When Alex’s mouth finally met Maggie’s pussy, the woman gasped in pleasure. She forced herself to pay attention to Alex too, moving her hand back between Alex’s legs and dipping her fingers between her folds, quickly picking up the pace. Alex moaned and panted beneath Maggie, feeling overwhelmed in all the right ways. When Maggie dropped her mouth down too, her tongue darting out to caress Alex’s clit while her fingers kept up a fast, hard rhythm, Alex cried out loudly, temporarily giving up on giving Maggie what she needed. Alex’s whole body was on fire, her muscles tensing and shaking as Maggie fucked her just the way she needed to be fucked. She came with a loud gasp, Maggie’s fingers buried deep inside her and her tongue hot against her clit.

Needing to show Maggie the same attention in return, Alex reached her hands up, drawing Maggie ever further down as she messily lapped at Maggie’s pussy, her whole face moving with the effort as she lost herself inside her girlfriend. She dug her nails into Maggie’s ass each time she heard the woman on top of her gasping and moaning and panting out obscene declarations. Maggie finally came with a strangled cry, her hips dropping down to Alex’s chest. They stayed like that for a minute, a pile of sweaty limbs tangled together, both of them trying to catch their breath and find the energy to move. They finally found their motivation when Maggie glanced against Alex’s pussy and the redhead let out a needy whimper. There was nothing quite like the promise of more sex to get them both off the ground, Alex pulling Maggie up the stairs and down into the bed.

“Mm, I know we didn’t get to do it in my twin bed, but there is something sort of hot about fucking you here, you know, taking away the innocence of it all.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“C’mon, think about high school and coming back on breaks from college. The nights you spent in here instead of out with someone else. Imagine being able to tell that Alex about how much she was missing out on.”

Alex chucked, “You know, I think 18-year-old Alex Danvers did get a pretty good glimpse at some of those pleasures right here in this bed on prom night.”

Maggie stiffened, rolling off Alex. “Oh. That was here? In your bed? In this bed?”

“Yeah…are you okay?” Alex asked, recognizing the change in mood. 

“I guess, yeah, just, I don’t know. I know I shouldn’t get to be jealous, but I don’t like the thought of you and Vicky here. I mean, it’s fine. Right, I’m glad you got to have some good sex before you resigned yourself to men for the next decade or so, but still…it’s just weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“That you already, I don’t know, shared this bed with someone else. And that was your first time, you know? It was something that’s supposed to be so special, and it was because you really were in love. And it was here. In this bed. Where we are now.”

“Yeah, and I’m here with you now. In this bed. In love with you. And, surprise, surprise, actually out and willing to admit that what I’m feeling is love that is not platonic in nature.”

“Okay, sorry. I’m being dumb.”

“It’s sort of cute, you know. You being jealous and all.”

“Pfft, not jealous. Nope, not at all.”

“Mhm…sure. Just like you weren’t jealous this morning. Or when you saw me with Vicky before we got together.”

“Exactly.”

“Mhm,” Alex teased.

“Well, in case you need reminding of why I have nothing to be concerned about…” Maggie trailed off, rolling back on top of Alex and pinning her to the bed. Alex bit her lips at the hungry, almost primal look in Maggie’s eyes. They were dark with lust and seemed alive with something far beyond the wanting she’d seen before—it was something possessive, something she might have caught a glimpse of when she told Maggie that she liked being marked, marked as hers. 

Determined to remind Alex of exactly how good things could be with her, Maggie surged forward, kissing Alex hard, her hands desperately clinging to Alex’s naked body, dragging her closer to Maggie. She let her lips roam free across Alex’s body, nipping and sucking at her neck, her chest, her hips, her inner thighs. She ran short nails up and down Alex’s thighs, barely even taking the time to grin at the sinful noises pouring out of Alex’s mouth. 

Maggie spent what felt to Alex like hours licking and sucking and touching her breasts, leaving Alex wondering about whether it would be possible to come from that alone. Alex gasped when Maggie’s strong hands began massaging her thighs, working their way up and around her legs, always moving back down each time they got close to where she desperately wanted them. Maggie ran her tongue along her teeth at the sight of Alex below her, eyes blown with need, hips bucking up, desperate for her hands. She could see how wet Alex already was, dripping for her. Finally Maggie couldn’t wait any longer either, and she bowed her head down, slowly licking up Alex’s pussy. Alex shuddered under her touch, sighing as Maggie slipped a finger inside of her, her thrusts hard and even.

Maggie’s mind seemed to go blank. All that mattered was making Alex come, over and over and over again. She needed this more than anything. Of course, she still checked in, asked to make sure, to get the confirmation that yes, Alex wanted her, needed her, just like this. And every single time, Alex’s answer was a ragged, “Yes,” rasped out between labored breaths.

Alex had dropped her head onto the pillows after her first orgasm. Even with just one finger inside her, she had come hard, harder than she thought was possible with so little being done to her. But Maggie wasn’t finished yet—not even close. After giving Alex a few seconds to recover, Maggie slowly began her movements once more, slipping a second finger inside of Alex and smirking at the surprised look on Alex’s face that quickly turned into arousal, into a desperate begging: “Yes, I’m good, please, please keep fucking me.”

Maggie felt almost detached from reality, so single-minded was her determination. She steadied herself each time Alex cried out, gasping and panting as she came, always harder than the time before. Now wasn’t the time for Maggie to need Alex, to beg for Alex to touch her, hold her, taste her, make her come. This was all about Alex, about making Alex feel how much Maggie cared for her, how good Maggie could be to her. 

Alex lost count after the sixth time Maggie pushed her over the edge. At this point she was fairly certain there were three fingers easily slipping in and out of her, Maggie’s tongue circling her clit in light, teasing motions. She was reduced to this person who just wanted, who needed. The whole world narrowed down to her and Maggie, alone together. She could follow Maggie’s moments, could whimper out her continued consent, could cry and gasp and probably even scream each time Maggie made her come again. But that was all she could feel, all she knew. 

By the time Alex was screaming out Maggie’s name with four fingers buried inside her, Maggie thought she might have made her point. She slowly removed her fingers, one by one, sucking them into her mouth, twirling her tongue around each digit as she licked them clean. When she was done with that, she lowered her head once more, figuring it was only polite to clean up the sticky mess of arousal she had left all over Alex’s pussy and thighs. Alex shuddered through one last orgasm—unexpected for both of them, as a handful of passes with Maggie’s tongue sent waves of pleasure crashing through her body once more. 

Finally, Maggie made her way back up to Alex, curling around her and peppering her face and neck and chest with small kisses. She needed to know that Alex was okay, that she was satisfied. Alex just laughed at the idea that she might not be good, kissing Maggie hard as she shook her head at the ridiculous idea that she might need more. 

Although Alex had appreciated the gesture, had loved cuddling in Maggie’s strong arms, she was also aware of the fact that Maggie had just spent what felt like an eternity between her legs, and she was desperate to repay her in some way. She flipped over to face the smaller woman, running a hand down Maggie’s stomach and between her legs.

“I’m okay, really.”

“You’re not turned on?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. This wasn’t about me; it was about you.”

“You don’t know?” Alex smirked as her fingers found Maggie’s entrance and the copious amount of arousal that had accumulated there, spilling out onto her thighs and drying in her short curls. “I think it’s a safe bet to say that you liked it too.”

“Al, of course I liked it. I loved it. But it doesn’t have to go back to being about me, you know?”

“Can it?” Alex tried to keep her voice steady, not to betray how very much she wanted to touch Maggie, to show her that she too could pull ragged screams out from somewhere deep inside of the woman under her.

“Only if you want to.”

“Trust me, I want to.”

Maggie whimpered as she finally let herself relax, let her muscles unwind themselves under Alex’s insistent touch. Alex settled between Maggie’s legs, licking slowly up and down Maggie’s pussy. Maggie moaned at the contact, but after a few minutes, Alex felt herself being pulled up.

“Is something wrong?”

“No! It’s not that anything’s wrong, just, could you maybe fuck me instead? Like, I want you to fuck me hard. With your hands. God, I wish we had the toys.”

“I can, yeah. But, I know you said it wasn’t me, but are you sure? Am I doing something wrong?”

“Al, no, not at all. It’s just, do you ever need something in bed? Like how I needed to make you come over and over again. Only now I need you to get a little rough and fuck me hard. If you’re okay with it.”

Alex nodded her assent and dragged her fingers up Maggie’s thighs, scratching and leaving angry red tracks in her wake that made the other woman groan with need. She grabbed at Maggie’s hips, dragging the woman up and into her as she leaned over and kissed Maggie hard, her tongue darting between Maggie’s lips and drawing out low moans. Finally Alex slipped a hand between Maggie’s legs, coating her fingers with Maggie’s arousal before slipping two fingers inside of the other woman.

Maggie clutched at Alex’s back, dragging her nails down from flexing shoulders to a toned ass and back up again. Her mouth was hot and insistent on Alex’s neck. “You’re so fucking good, Alex,” Maggie panted, earning a whimpered sigh in response. Those noises did something to her—they always did—and Maggie knew she needed to hear more, to hear Alex fighting to stay present as Maggie whispered everything Alex desperately wanted to hear. “God, no one fucks me like you do, Alex. You make me so fucking wet. I want you so deep inside me, Al. I want you to make me come. I want you to show me how good you are.” 

Alex nearly growled as she surged forward, her lips crashing hard into Maggie’s as she fucked Maggie harder and faster, needing to feel the woman underneath her coming undone.

\---

As Kara and Eliza pulled back into the driveway, the car full with bags and bags of groceries, Kara winced.

“Are you okay, dear?” Eliza asked, concern lacing her voice.

Kara floundered. She didn’t exactly want to tell Eliza that she could hear the literal screaming coming from Alex’s bedroom and that they definitely did not want to go back in the house yet. “Oh, yeah! Yeah, of course. I just, um, I forgot something! Can we run and get coffee?”

“We have coffee at home. I can put on a pot. Since when do you drink coffee?”

“Well, not coffee. Um, I like those pumpkin spice lattes in the fall. And this time of year, Lena gets me this caramel drink that’s so tasty!” All of this was true, and Kara felt slightly better now that she wasn’t trying to come up with lies—that was never a skill of hers, which made keeping her secret identity a secret very difficult. 

“Fine,” Eliza acquiesced. “Text your sister and see if she and Maggie want anything. I feel badly leaving them all alone without a car this whole afternoon.”

Kara bit back a laugh. They had certainly found other ways to occupy themselves. She just nodded at Eliza and pulled out her phone. “I win best sister of the year award. You owe me so much ice cream and takeout. Put clothes back on and tell me if you want anything from that coffee shop you loved so much.” A second later she added, “Did you love that place bc of the cute barista who used to work there?? Totally never thought of it then, but that was it, right?”

By the time Kara and Eliza were pulling onto the street for the second time, Kara was nervous; Alex still hadn’t responded to her text. She braced herself as she listened for Alex’s voice, hoping that she wouldn’t have to hear anything she didn’t want to hear for a second time that afternoon. She made a gagging noise after overhearing some of the truly filthy things Maggie was whispering to her sister, but at least it sounded like they were just talking now and wouldn’t be interrupted in the middle of anything. Alex so owed her for this, Kara decided.

Kara made a point of calling loudly to Eliza when she unlocked the door. Alex was definitely buying her all the pizza and potstickers she could eat for the month of January. 

Alex gasped when she heard Kara’s voice. They were supposed to have been gone for hours! It couldn’t have been that long, could it? She fumbled for her phone, cringing when she realized just how long they had spent up in her bed. Maggie was already halfway across the room, digging a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt out of her bag, hoping they could look like they were napping or watching a movie. Alex followed Maggie’s lead, wrangling a sweatshirt over her head just as she heard the car trunk slam shut and Eliza’s voice carry up the stairs. She bounded down the stairs, faking a loud yawn and yelling out an offer to help carry the bags, though she was sure Kara probably had most of them already. Maggie followed Alex, eager to lend a helping hand if she could. 

Maggie ran straight into Alex, who had stopped short in the dining room at the sight of their clothes—all of their clothes—strewn across the kitchen and dining room floor. Eliza and Kara were also both frozen in between the door and the table. Maggie thought it might make for a rather amusing tableau if she didn’t want to crawl into a hole and die.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Eliza cleared her throat. “Alex, dear, why don’t you put away the groceries?”

“Yes, of course!” Alex’s heart was in her throat. She wondered if this is what a stroke felt like. She needed to say something, anything, to make the sight in front of them better. She rambled, “Sorry for the mess, by the way. I had spilled. Boiling water. On Maggie. So she had to, you know, take off the hot clothes. And I had to treat the burns, so I totally forgot to come back and get her clothes to dry them,” she finished lamely.

Kara scoffed, “Yeah and that’s why there are two sets of clothes down here? And you’re both covered in hickeys?”

Alex glared at her sister, wishing she had heat vision in that moment. But before she could try to add more detail to the story, Eliza cut her off: “You’re an adult, Alex. I’m going upstairs. When I come back down, I would like everything put away. And please, just, wipe off any surfaces that…need it.”

Alex blushed scarlet as she nodded, and Maggie looked shell-shocked, rooted to the spot. Finally Kara spoke when Eliza went upstairs, hissing, “I texted you! I gave you so much warning!”

“I didn’t have my phone on me! And you so do not win best sister of the year award now!”

“Oh really?” Kara taunted, “Because if I didn’t drag Eliza back out for coffee, she would have found out that her daughter was a screamer.” At the sight of Alex’s ever-deepening blush, Kara smiled broadly, declaring, “So that’ll be you footing my food bill for the next month.”


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you all seemed to really enjoy yesterday's chapter! Today's pretty much just fluff...but I do love the idea of Lena as the bearer of lesbian wisdom (which is going to be a thing for a couple more chapters)

Maggie could have kissed Lena when she arrived that night. Even hours later, she still couldn’t make eye contact with Eliza, so Lena served as a perfect new distraction. They all ate dessert together that night, chatting about how Lena’s holidays had been and whether there was any news from National City. Of course, Lena had already seen Kara half the nights they were supposedly apart, but she retold a few of the funnier moments from her Christmas dinner with Winn much to everyone’s amusement. Eventually, Lena couldn’t hide her yawns, and Eliza shuffled them all off to bed, knowing that Kara surely had a busy day planned for everyone.

And busy it was. From the moment they awoke, Kara had them on a schedule. From breakfast at Kara’s favorite diner where they still remembered her (“Who could forget the little girl with blonde pigtails who ordered two of the lumberjack specials?”), to a short ride down to the piers where they had a picnic lunch, the day flew by. Before Alex even realized it, they were in the car and on the way to the winter carnival.

“Did you talk to Vicky?” Kara called from the front seat.

 

“Uh, yeah, she told me to text her when we were heading over. She’s gonna be there with Emily. Do you remember her? I wasn’t that close with her, but she and Vicky became, like, besties after our falling out.”

Kara tried to remember. “Was she the one who ended up beating you for valedictorian?”

“By 0.01. It doesn’t count,” Alex snapped back.

Maggie chuckled softly and kissed Alex’s temple. “You’re still the smartest woman I know. And who is this Emily chick anyway? You’re a damn professor.”

“So is she,” Alex mumbled.

Kara cut in, not wanting Maggie to go down a list of things only to find out that Alex and Emily were actually rather similar—too similar for Alex’s taste. “Well you should probably text her, let her know that we’re getting close.”

“Not as close as we’d be if I were driving,” Alex grumbled.

“Yes, but this way you get to kiss me,” Maggie said with a smile, leaning in to press a kiss to Alex’s lips.

Lena laughed as Kara made a gagging noise at the obscene amount of cuteness coming from the back of the car and ran her fingers up Kara’s thigh to remind her that her girlfriend was there as well.

Eventually they made it to the carnival, and Lena smiled broadly at the expression of pure glee that flashed across Kara’s face at the sight. She grabbed Lena’s hand and skipped toward the entrance, making Lena glad that she let Kara convince her to forgo her stilettos for a pair of tennis shoes. Kara soon grew impatient at the very human pace they were taking, even if they had already overtaken Alex and Maggie by a good deal, and tried to convince Lena to let her carry her across the parking lot. “Please! We’d go so much faster!”

“Kara, I am not going to be held like a child.”

“Come on, just for a few feet! You didn’t mind it when I took you flying. Or when I took you against the door of your office…”

Lena gave a throaty laugh. “No, not then. But somehow I don’t think we’re going to fuck at the fair.”

Kara made a noise of annoyance, but resigned herself to walking at a normal pace. She yelled for Alex and Maggie to keep up, garnering a middle finger in reply from her sister. While Alex and Maggie took off to find Vicky and Emily, Kara dragged Lena over to the food area. On their way over, Lena’s phone rang. “Oh shoot, this is Jess, and she knows only to call if it’s an emergency. Do you mind if I take this?”

“No, go! I’ll get started, make sure everything tastes good.”

Lena smiled and shook her head, wandering over to the tables as she talked to Jess.

Meanwhile, Kara went from booth to booth, sampling something from each one. She glanced over at Lena and saw her rubbing her temples, her jaw clenched. She jogged over to pick up a snack to bring to her girlfriend. As soon as she saw Lena hang up the phone and take a deep breath to compose herself, she made her way to the picnic table.

“Hey. You look stressed.”

“I am…but I am not going to ruin the carnival! You have my word.”

“That’s sweet, but if you need to go back to L Corp, really, you can.”

“No, no. It’s been handled, and anything else can be dealt with on Monday. Right now, I am here with you.”

“Well, I might have caught your expression during that call, and I thought you could use some fried sugary goodness in your life…” Her voice took on a teasing tone as she asked, “You eat donuts, right?”

Playing along, Lena dropped her voice and arched her eyebrow, like she was letting Kara in on a secret. “Ah, well, I am human.”

Kara giggled and handed over a glazed donut, taking a large bite out of her own, which was coated with a thick pink frosting. “You’ve got a little,” Lena laughed, gesturing to Kara’s lip. Kara wiped her hand across her mouth, managing to miss the icing entirely. “You know what, I’ll get it.” And with that, Lena leaned into Kara, catching the icing and kissing her softly.

“Wow,” Kara breathed out. “I see why girls always liked going on dates to the carnival.”

“Somehow I doubt their high school boyfriends were ever that smooth,” Lena purred. She kissed Kara again until the sound of Kara’s stomach growling caught their attention. “Still hungry?”

“Always. But maybe we should try to find Alex? I just hope she hasn’t killed Emily yet.”

“So, I didn’t want to ask in the car, but who exactly are these two other people? I vaguely know of Vicky as one of Alex’s professor friends. But who is the other one? And why did Alex and Vicky fight? Were they dating?”

“Right, I forgot you didn’t know the whole story. I guess the short version is that Alex and Vicky were best friends in high school. They, you know, got together, but Alex wasn’t ready to be out yet. Vicky thought she was, so they had some big fight—I’m still not totally sure of the specifics there. I guess Emily became best friends with Vicky after that? So Alex always sort of hated her. Also for beating her in school stuff. But Alex and Vicky are good friends again, since Vicky helped her come out finally. Now I think you know as much as I do. Oh, and Alex slept with Vicky again before she and Maggie got together. But they’re just friends—no jealousy or anything like that. Apparently Vicky was trying to help set Alex up with Maggie?”

“Okay.”

“Okay? I feel like I just told you some juicy stuff, and it’s just ‘okay’?”

“Have you never heard of dyke drama? Compared to my boarding school days, Alex’s relationships are easy, dear.”

“Oh. Huh.” Lena bit her lip at the adorable way Kara scrunched her eyebrows together when she knew she wasn’t quite understanding something.

“Shall we go find them?”

“Right! Yes. I’ll call Alex.” After a brief phone call, Kara reported back: “Vicky was running a little late, but they’re all here now. They said they would meet us at our table, so I guess all we need to do is sit and wait.”

A few minutes later, Alex, Maggie, Vicky, and a fourth woman Lena assumed must be Emily arrived. They all quickly went around, doing introductions. When Lena shook Emily’s hand, she shook her head. “You look familiar. Is there any chance I know you?”

“Well, I mean, I obviously recognize you from interviews about L Corp, but I’m not sure how you might know me.”

Determined to figure it out, Lena pressed, “Tell me about yourself. What do you do? Did we know each other during college?”

“Perhaps? I went to Harvard for undergrad, then Berkeley for grad school in international relations. I’m a professor now.”

“Did you play sports at Harvard?” Lena asked, desperately trying to place the woman.

“Uh, field hockey. Why?”

“That would be why you look familiar. We played against each other every year. Thank you for the clarification.”

“Wait, you played?” Kara asked incredulously.

“Of course! It was one of the few sports mother approved of when I was younger. Apparently it was preppy enough to be acceptable, but unlike lacrosse, it didn’t require any sort of face mask.”

“Did you, uh, did you have the uniforms with the little skirts?” Kara stuttered, her voice hopeful.

“We did,” Lena purred. “Probably still have it in my closet somewhere.” She winked at Kara, who looked like she wanted to fly them back to National City right then and there.

“Well,” Alex cleared her throat, “now that we all know each other, food?”

Everyone murmured their assent, and pretty soon people were being sent off to various booths, leaving Lena and Emily to save their table.

Once everyone had left, Lena turned to Emily: “So, tell me what your deal is. You dated Vicky in high school?”

“What? How?” Emily looked confused.

“I got a very rudimentary crash course introduction from Kara while Alex was gone. You two were rivals, and as soon as Alex was out of the picture, you ended up very close with Vicky. So you were together, right?”

“Yes,” Emily snapped back defensively. “We didn’t have to be rivals. I just didn’t appreciate Alex using Vicky like that. She really hurt the poor girl.”

“And you were there to pick up the pieces?”

“I was there however she wanted me to be there,” Emily smirked.

“I respect that,” Lena conceded, watching as Emily seemed to lower her guard a bit. “You do know that Alex finally came out, though, right? This year. Maggie is her girlfriend.”

“Yeah…Vicky filled me in. Honestly, I’m happy for her. I’ll admit that I couldn’t stand the woman after seeing her leave Vicky all alone to deal with the fallout of coming out as a senior in high school, but I guess she was pretty far in the closet if it took her this many years to finally admit she was as gay as the rest of us.”

“Well, here’s to having been out the whole damn time,” Lena toasted, raising an imaginary glass. Emily returned the motion, smiling broadly at Lena. They soon switched focus to their current work and reminiscing about their college days.

Meanwhile, Alex had dragged Vicky with her to get burgers, reasoning that four hands were really needed to carry all of that food. As soon as they were far enough away from the others to have a semi-private conversation, Alex hissed, “Are you cheating on Donna?”

“No,” Vicky replied.

“Then why are you hanging out with Emily? You two were totally holding hands.”

“First of all, we’re good friends; we can do that together without it being a relationship. Second of all, Donna and I are in an open relationship, so there’s no real ‘cheating’ as long as we’re honest with each other and playing by the rules we choose to set.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I told you, Donna and I are casual. I like her, and she likes me, but we’re really not trying to totally settle down yet. So we agreed that we could sleep with other people, but not go beyond a couple of dates with others. And we have to keep each other informed and get tested regularly, obviously.”

“Isn’t that just cheating on each other?”

“No,” Vicky corrected, “it’s ethical non-monogamy. I can send you some articles, but really, don’t worry about it.” Alex resolved to look into it, not that she was interested in sleeping with anyone else or having Maggie sleep with anyone else for that matter. “Also, take it easy on Emily! You have to remember that she was one of the very, very few out gay kids in school. Plus, she was my friend even before our big fight, so she knew about my feelings for you. And she knew about prom. And then she saw what happened over the next few days… Do you see where she’s coming from? As far as she was concerned, you were either some straight girl who broke my heart or some closeted lesbian who let her best friend come out without having the guts to do it with me.”

Alex clenched her jaw, suddenly feeling a wave of guilt over her actions in high school. Vicky saw the motion and rushed to add: “She knows the full story now and isn’t mad at you. And I’m not either, Al. It was high school. You and I have already gone way past apologies and forgiveness, you know that.”

“Yeah, I guess, I didn’t realize that there were already other people who had done the whole coming out thing without it being the end of the world. And how my…unwillingness to do it too would look to them. I am sorry, for what it’s worth.”

“Water under the bridge.” Alex smiled. “But you need to be nicer to Emily. I already told her that she would only get sex tonight if she was nice to you, so you should at least make it easy on her because I don’t feel like going home alone.”

“Ugh fine,” Alex whined, rolling her eyes.

Eventually everyone made it back to the table with piles of food. Kara quickly pulled most of the burgers toward herself, while Alex found her way back to Maggie, who had gotten them a few slices of pizza. Everyone was amiable enough over dinner, and Alex made a point of being nice to Emily, earning a grateful smile from Vicky.

Even though she was enjoying the company, Kara had plans for making the most of the carnival. So when they finish eating, she pulled Lena up and off to the giant ferris wheel. Before Lena knew what was happening, she was in a rickety seat with no seatbelt being lifted up and off the ground.

“Oh my gosh and when we get to the top, you’ll be able to see all of Midvale, including the beach! It’s so pretty, Lena! Not as pretty as you, of course, but a close second,” Kara rambled before noticing the way that Lena was clutching the seat, her knuckles white, or the way her teeth were clenched tightly, her jaw set and the color rapidly draining from her cheeks. “Um, Lena, are you okay?”

“Fine,” Lena choked out.

“You don’t look so fine.”

“I don’t much like flying. But at least I know that statistically, it’s safe. I’m uncertain about the safety regulations to which metal baskets are held these days.” Even at her most afraid, Lena’s sarcasm was still biting.

“Shoot, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think to ask! I just, I know that you’re okay when I fly you around National City, so I didn’t think heights would be an issue for you.”

“It’s different; I can see you, and I trust you. I don’t know what sort of carnie is operating this, this, this fucking basket wheel.”

“Ferris wheel,” Kara corrected quietly. “Do you want to get off?”

“No,” Lena snapped, “I do not quit things, nor do I do afraid.”

Kara tapped her foot nervously, stopping only when Lena glared at her for making their basket gently rock back and forth. “I have an idea! Do you trust me?”

“More than I trust this thing.”

“Okay, so I’m going to come around to you.” As soon as Kara got up, though, their basket swung slightly, making Lena curse and grip the seat even more tightly. Eventually Kara made it over to Lena. “Now can you get in my lap?”

“Why?”

“You trust me and my powers, so let me hold you instead of the seat.”

After some gentle coaxing, Kara managed to pry Lena’s fingers off of the seat and quickly pulled her into her lap. She could feel Lena’s heart still racing, so Kara let herself levitate just an inch or two in the air, clutching Lena tightly against her chest. “Do you feel safer now?” Kara asked.

“Why would I feel safer now? We’re still at the mercy of this aluminum holding up our weight.”

“No,” Kara shook her head. “We’re actually flying. Just slightly, but still, there is no weight being left on the ride.”

“Really?” Lena asked, blinking back tears.

“You have my word,” Kara promised. Lena visibly relaxed. When they made their way back to the top of the ride, Kara urged her to look around. “Even though we’re not technically on the ride, there’s no reason you shouldn’t get to enjoy the view.”

“It really is beautiful,” Lena conceded. Still, she was grateful when the ride ended and she was able to put both feet firmly on the ground again.


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like the first real fight as a couple for some angst (though I promise fluff and a bit of Supercorp smut to make up for it!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just noticed this was Chapter 50! A huge thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and this fic! All of your comments never fail to make me smile/motivated to keep writing :)

Meanwhile, Maggie and Alex had wandered over to the game section, determined to let their competitive sides out in a healthy, controlled setting. They started with a shooting game, but played only one round when Maggie was asked to leave. Apparently swearing loudly about the toy gun’s inaccurate mechanisms and targeting abilities was not appropriate behavior for a children’s game. Next, they played a few rounds of Whack a Mole, which Alex enjoyed far more than was probably healthy. Sometimes she wondered whether she should have gone into a profession that allowed for some sort of hand-to-hand combat. 

Finally they made their way over to the basketball shooting games. As one of the taller girls in her grade, Alex had been recruited to the basketball team in middle and high school, so she figured she probably still had some shooting accuracy. Maggie had played enough games of HORSE with her cousins and her old squad buddies that she too felt pretty secure in her talent. Maggie suggested a wager: “If I score more points than you, you have to tell me what it is you dragged Vicky off to talk about.”

Alex scoffed; she didn’t bother admitting to Maggie that she would have told her anyway. “If I win, which I will, Sawyer, we’re staying at my place for the whole week after we get back.”

“Deal,” Maggie agreed.

Once they had paid for their tickets and everything was set up, they were off, both paying more attention to the other person’s score than their own game. Neither of them had been expecting the moving hoop or the extremely lightweight ball. Come the end of the game, they were both tied with 6 points each, which they considered a fine effort until they realized the young boy down the row had beaten them handily, sinking 9 out of the 10 shots. 

“So, dessert time?” Alex asked.

“Yep, absolutely. Probably just tired after all those other games,” Maggie scoffed.

They ran into Vicky and Emily on their way back to the food stands. “Where have you guys been?” Alex asked.

“Photobooth,” Vicky answered.

“Fun. Very cheesy,” Alex teased. “Let’s see the pictures.”

“Oh, we weren’t there for taking pictures…” Vicky trailed off suggestively, throwing a showy wink in their direction in case they were still missing her point. They were not. 

When they got close to the food, Alex spotted Kara and Lena over at a picnic table again, a whole row of different desserts displayed in front of them.

“Your sister has quite the appetite,” Emily remarked.

“You have no idea. She eats like a teenage boy, but worse.”

“Damn…that must be nice,” she laughed. “Wanna go get something, Vicky?” Vicky nodded, and they were off again, Vicky’s hands sneaking into Emily’s back pocket.

Alex turned to Maggie. “So, about what I was talking to Vicky about…well, she and Donna are dating.”

“Right, the accountant, yes.”

“But she’s hooking up with Emily.”

“Yes, that’s abundantly clear,” Maggie laughed.

“So I wanted to call her out on that. If she’s going to cheat on Donna, she should just break up with her. But then she was telling me that they’re in some sort of open relationship where they sleep with other people, but they’re both okay with it, even though they’re still calling what they have a relationship.”

“Oh, yeah, polyamory. Or maybe it’s just sexual, and they’re still primary partners.”

“You know about this?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, I’ve had a few relationships where we tried it.”

“Oh. Why?”

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Danvers, but I like a fair amount of sex. Not everyone I’ve been with does. And sometimes you’re in a high stress job, or you both travel a lot, and it’s just easier to know that the person you’re with doesn’t expect you to hold yourself to some impossibly high standard for the months while you’re apart.”

Alex bristled. “Hm. Okay,” she said curtly. 

“Al? What’s up? You don’t seem okay.”

“Nothing.”

“Alex, please. You’re using your one-word answers. Next thing I know you’ll be monosyllabic.”

“No.”

“See!”

“Whatever.”

“Alex, come on, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t understand why that’s okay. Why do you think you can be in a relationship and go sleep with other women?”

“We had discussed it. If both people in a relationship are still on the same page, it’s not cheating; it’s called defining your own rules. We didn’t choose to conform to the strict standard of monogamy that’s been enforced. So what?”

“So what? So maybe I don’t want to be the fucking girlfriend who sits at home wondering where you are and who you’re with all the time!”

“There’s no reason for you to do that! We aren’t in an open relationship. That would be something we would have to discuss together first.”

“I don’t want that kind of relationship,” Alex snapped.

“Then we won’t have one. God, why the fuck is this so hard for you to get?” Maggie hadn’t meant to sound demeaning or dismissive of Alex’s concerns, but she was so tired of people expecting her to explain things to them. Be it sexuality or racism, she really just didn’t have the fucking time to lay it out in simple terms for every asshole who wouldn’t take the time to do a little research first. 

“You fucking say things about the ‘impossibly high standard’ that is monogamy, then ask me why I think you might want an open relationship? God, I thought you were supposed to be smart,” Alex sneered. She knew an ugly side of her was coming out. It happened whenever she felt even slightly vulnerable, but knowing that somehow didn’t stop it from happening; it just made her feel guiltier. But she was not going to stand here and listen to her girlfriend talk about how hard it was to be with only one woman and act like it didn’t bother her either. 

“Go fuck yourself, Danvers,” Maggie spat out, stalking back into the crowds of the carnival to try to clear her head.

“Right back at you,” Alex called after her, throwing herself down onto a free bench and fuming silently. 

Unfortunately, Kara noticed Alex and was soon waving her over to their table. She plastered a fake smile onto her face, assuming it probably looked more like a grimace but knowing it was the best she could do. “Hey,” she called out.

“Hey!” Kara yelled back, “How was your time at the carnival?” 

“It was fine. What about you?”

Kara thought her sister seemed a bit off, but she figured she was just tired. “It was so much fun, Alex! We did some rides, and I won Lena a teddy bear, and now I’m showing her all of the dessert options. Isn’t it so much fun being here with a date?”

“Just great,” Alex replied sarcastically. 

“Speaking of, where is Maggie?” Kara asked.

Alex groaned. It was obvious that Kara really wasn’t getting that she shouldn’t push on that topic just then. Luckily Lena intervened. Unlike Kara, who was basically human sunshine, Lena knew what the aftermath of a bad fight looked like, having been there plenty of times, and knew better than to push just yet. “Do you want to join us for some dessert, or did you have a few things left to do at the carnival?” Lena asked, offering Alex an out.

Alex mouthed, “Thank you,” at Lena when Kara’s attention was distracted by the chocolatey Belgian waffle in her hands. “I think I’m going to try to hit one last ride. Should I meet you by the car?”

“Yeah! We’ll be done here in…ten minutes, maybe?”

Lena laughed, eyeing the copious amounts of food still spread out in front of them. She knew it would indeed be gone, though the thought was still a bit nauseating. 

Alex paced around the grounds, keeping her eyes out for Maggie. She didn’t want to deal with her, but she also knew that she needed to get her back to the car, lest she have to answer Kara’s questions well before she was ready to do so. She figured Lena would help, but nothing really stopped Kara once she set her mind to it. 

On her third lap around, Alex spotted Maggie over at the “strength tester” game, swinging a mallet over her shoulder before bringing it crashing down on the target. It didn’t ring the bell, but it came closer than Alex had seen it all night. If it were half an hour ago, Alex would have been turned on. As it stood, she was still turned on but also pissed. And her anger beat down any other competing emotions. Once Maggie had stepped away from the game, Alex tapped her shoulder.

“What?” Maggie asked, her voice rough.

“We’re leaving. We have to go to the car now.”

“Fine.”

They walked out to the lot in uncomfortable silence, anger radiating off of both women. Luckily, Lena and Kara were already there, so they were able to hop in and act like they were just tired on the drive home. 

When they got back to the house, there was a note taped to the inside of the door: “Went to a movie with some of my friends. Be back around 11 or 12. Love, Eliza.”

Kara raised her eyebrows at Lena, and they scampered upstairs holding hands. Alex and Maggie glared at each other. After a bit of a stalemate, Alex finally spoke. “I’m watching TV down here.”

“I was gonna do that.”

“Sucks for you.”

“Fine, I’ll just go sit up in your room.”

“I’m sure you need some privacy to text all your girls on the side,” Alex taunted.

“Fuck off,” Maggie growled.

“Wow, what a creative response. Never would have thought of that one.”

“Well maybe you need to find someone smarter than me. Some Ivy League bitch like Emily. I’m sure you’d be a lot happier with someone who’s ‘actually smart.’”

“I didn’t mean that,” Alex mumbled.

“You said it. So clearly you meant it on some level.”

“By that logic you meant it when you said monogamy was imposed on us and is an impossibly high standard. You can’t have it both ways, Sawyer.”

“You know what, when I was a 22-year-old fresh out of school working night shifts and dating someone who traveled all the time for work, monogamy did seem like the worst thing to happen to our relationship. You know as well as I do that fucking can do wonders for stress, and I was fucking stressed out of my mind all the time. And I was supposed to be in some sort of relationship, but we saw each other in person maybe three nights a month, and inevitably one of them fell through or was spent fighting or sleeping. So yeah, we agreed that we could sleep with other people. We still called each other almost every day, but we both had a release if and when we needed it. You don’t get to come in years later and fucking judge me.”

“I get to judge you when it impacts my life.”

“Who said it does?”

“It has to!”

“No, it doesn’t,” Maggie growled. “I don’t want that with you. We see each other all the time. Our sex drives seem compatible. I’m not some kid dealing with a fresh new horror every fucking night out on the streets of Gotham. Things are different now.”

“How can I trust you?”

“Have I given you any reason to doubt me?”

Alex shrugged.

Maggie continued, “That’s the whole damn point of a relationship. For all I know, you could be this defensive and upset because you’re already cheating on me.”

“I’m not!”

“Yeah, but how do I really know that? Don’t you get it? We never know. All we can do is hope for the best. But you can’t make these assumptions about me or go on treating me with suspicion just because I’ve had relationships that don’t conform to the model you’re used to.” 

“I guess. But you need to stop blaming me for being worried. You don’t get to just…drop a bomb on me and expect me to act like it means nothing.”

“Fine.” Maggie was too worn out to fight any more, and Alex seemed resigned to the temporary peace as well. “I’m just gonna…” Maggie trailed off, gesturing to the stairs.

Alex nodded. “Do you mind if I come upstairs too? I need pajamas.”

“It’s your room.”

Alex shrugged and followed Maggie upstairs. They changed in near silence. Silence would have been preferable to Alex. Instead, it was too quiet in the house—quiet enough that she could hear Kara and Lena, just one wall away, giggling and moaning loudly. As Alex was headed out to go back downstairs, she heard noises coming out of her little sister she never wanted to hear. That was the last straw. She threw a fist against Kara’s door. “Keep it the fuck down!” she growled before storming downstairs.

A few seconds later, Kara popped a flushed face out of the door, peering down the hallway. Maggie waved her off. “It’s nothing. She’s just in a bad mood. Go back to…whatever you’re doing.”

Kara nodded, shutting her door and turning back to Lena. Normally she would be totally present. After all, how often was it that there was a beautiful woman naked in her childhood bedroom? But now she was distracted. “Do you think Alex is really mad at us?”

“No, it’s definitely not us,” Lena tried to assuage Kara’s fears. 

“But what if it is?”

“Kara,” Lena said, her voice low and measured, “you didn’t notice it at the fair, but clearly she and Maggie are fighting. They need time to work things out, but right now Alex is scared and angry, and we were just here—a reminder of all of the things she misses about Maggie.”

“They had sex all afternoon yesterday,” Kara whined.

“And we can have sex all night tonight, love. Alex just needed to yell, to get some of it out of her system. Now please come back to bed?”

Kara nodded, trying to get back into what they were doing. She got into the bed again, and Lena moved back up her body, straddling her hips and drawing her lips down to nip at Kara’s neck, knowing there was no concern about leaving marks. Sure, sometimes she wished the scratches and hickeys would last after they put the kryptonite away, but in situations like this, it was always a positive. 

Under Lena’s tongue, Kara was quickly swept back into the moment, all thoughts of Maggie and Alex’s fight ceasing to matter. Because now Lena’s tongue was flicking across her nipples, then dancing across her abs. Her hands were threaded through Kara’s hair, then hot on her chest and down her legs. Lena moved her way down Kara’s body slowly—not as slowly as she usually would have, knowing that Eliza was still coming back in the near future, but still more slowly than Kara would have liked. 

Finally Lena’s head was between Kara’s legs, her tongue licking slowly but insistently up her pussy. “You taste so good,” Lena moaned. She dipped back down to Kara’s entrance, letting her tongue slip between her girlfriend’s folds as Kara gasped and clutched at the sheets. 

For now, everything was slow, controlled. Kara waited with bated breath for the moment when Lena’s defenses would crack, for the moment when she would let herself lose control, lose herself in Kara’s pussy and fuck her senseless—no thoughts about whether this was right or wrong, no worries about how a Super could possibly love or trust a Luthor—just them, together. She whined and whimpered under Lena’s insistent touch, bucking her hips up into Lena’s mouth, desperate for more. The whining finally pushed Lena over the edge, letting her drop her guard as her whole body seemed to surge forward into Kara, her arms curling under Kara’s thighs and dragging the blonde woman further into her as her tongue lapped at Kara’s arousal before moving up to suck on her clit. 

Kara’s smile at the change was brief; before she knew it, she had her face buried in a pillow, trying to muffle some of the needy sounds that were pouring out of her mouth. When Lena sunk two fingers inside of her, Kara nearly ripped her pillow in two—kryptonite or not, she was still strong—as she came with a shaky gasp. She pulled Lena back up the bed, sucking Lena’s fingers into her mouth and licking her arousal off of them, before rolling on top of the other woman. “Your turn.”

Eventually, Maggie grew tired of trying to pretend she couldn’t hear anything through the walls. It all reminded her too much of her college years which, while fun, were an experience she was okay leaving behind. She shuffled downstairs, wondering if Alex had fallen asleep and she would be able to pass unnoticed. Alex had not. She sat hunched over and wrapped in a blanket in the corner of the couch, half watching the reruns playing on TV. 

“Mind if I join you?” Maggie asked.

“’s fine.”

“Whatcha watching?”

“Uh, I think it’s an old episode of Rizzoli and Isles.”

“Oh, nice. Very lesbian of you.”

“They did always act like a couple, didn’t they?”

“Mhm. Fought like one too,” Maggie added. 

“Did they make up like one?” Alex asked, her voice soft and vulnerable.

“Well, there was significantly less sex than I’d like that process to involve…but at least they always talked it out and ended up back in each other’s arms.”

Alex shrugged and motioned to the spot next to her on the couch. Maggie shuffled over and sat down awkwardly, unsure of whether she was allowed to lean into Alex or steal some of the blanket like she normally would. 

On the commercial break, Maggie turned to Alex. “You know, I really don’t want to be with anyone else, Al. I’m here with you because I want to be, not because you’re demanding it. You’re the only person I want, okay?”

Alex nodded, her expression soft and open. She reached a blanketed arm out to Maggie and pulled the smaller woman into her, wrapping the blanket around Maggie as well. Eventually they slumped down onto the couch, Alex relishing in the opportunity to be the big spoon for a change. As they held each other, they felt the tension between them begin to dissipate, and Alex trailed soft kisses up Maggie’s neck as they watched the episode, muttering apologies to her half-asleep girlfriend, who still heard them and smiled.

By the time Eliza got home, both women were sound asleep, the television still on and quiet in the background. Figuring that as cozy as the two looked, they would probably regret sleeping on the couch the next morning, Eliza gently woke Alex, whispering, “I’m home. You can stay there, but you might want to go up to your bed. It’s a little bigger.” Alex nodded and picked up Maggie, who clung to her as she walked them both up the stairs to her room, the blanket trailing over her shoulders like a cape.


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Apologies for the short chapter - the next few I have ready are much substantial, including a plot-heavy few, but I'm running up against some deadlines and didn't have as much time as I wanted to flesh this one out.
> 
> 2\. I didn't actually include the specifics of Maggie and Alex's conversation in part because I didn't feel I had time to do it just, but also because I sort of felt like it was a very intimate/personal conversation that was almost best kept as a private moment between the two of them - we see it happen, but aren't privy to the details (if that makes sense). It's what I like to imagine the SG writers were doing in the Valentine's Day episode by not showing us Alex being a supportive girlfriend and actually talking to Maggie about her past trauma...gotta keep the hope alive

The next day, Kara let Alex and Maggie off of her schedule, taking Lena’s advice to let them “have some space to themselves.” She and Lena took off to hit the rest of the items on Kara’s to do/see list, while Alex and Maggie lingered at the table.

When Maggie went upstairs to shower, Eliza came and sat down next to Alex. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just waiting on Maggie.”

“Right, yes, but I mean what’s going on between you two?”

“Us? Nothing.”

“Alex, keeping a secret disagrees with you.”

“It’s not like that, Mom.”

“Then tell me. You’ve been a lot quieter this morning. Are you still embarrassed about what I found on Friday?”

“No! God, no. Let’s never talk about that again,” Alex blushed. “Maggie and I just, I don’t know, we had our first like real fight. And it’s over, I think, but I still feel off.”

“That’s normal, dear. All couples fight. You say things you don’t mean, or sometimes you say things you did mean but in a tone or a context that you know wasn’t right. And you get over it. You work through whatever the issue was together.”

“But things don’t feel the same. What if they don’t go back to the way things were?”

“Then that’s okay too; maybe it’s for the best if things change, if you get to a new point in your relationship. Do you want to know how I knew that none of your relationships in high school or college were ever that serious? Outside of the fact, of course, that I already suspected that you would have been happier dating Vicky than most of the boys you dragged yourself out with.”

“Sure.”

“Because they were always so calm. Nothing ever rocked the boat. Even if you disagreed, it never bothered you. When you broke up, you were annoyed, but never upset. That all sounds really great, but when you love someone, when you genuinely care about having a future together, you have fights. You disagree and get angry, and things change. Because they need to. Because you want them to. So to me, your fight with Maggie just shows that you care about her and that she cares about you enough to fight for each other and a future that you’ll get to figure out on your own terms.”

Alex’s mouth twitched. “You’re actually sort of good at this whole relationship advice thing.”

“Yes, well, you’re finally in one that matters enough to need advice,” Eliza teased.

\---

Maggie and Alex spent the morning walking along the piers at the beach, sitting and talking through what had happened the night before. By the time they finally felt like they both got where the other person was coming from, they were starving.

“Should we go back to the house?” Maggie asked.

“Nah, there’s a pretty good diner just a few blocks away. It’s all American food, but I wouldn’t say no to some fries and a milkshake right about now.” Maggie smiled and followed Alex into town.

Once they were seated with the promise of food to come, Alex seemed significantly happier than Maggie had seen her since before the fight. “Are we good?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

They passed the time waiting for their food by playing silly games like hangman and tic-tac-toe on the back of their paper placemats, switching to 20 questions and I-spy when they ran out of room.

While they were eating, the restaurant began to fill up with old classmates from high school and middle school, people Alex vaguely remembered but couldn’t quite name. She assumed that, like her, they were all home for the holidays. Soon enough, Vicky and Emily strolled in and waved at Alex and Maggie.

“Are you okay seeing them?” Maggie asked quietly.

“Now that we’ve talked? Yeah, it’s just fine.” She waved them over to their table.

“Hey! How are you two doing?” Vicky asked.

“Can’t complain. I’ve got a grilled cheese and fries in front of me and a pretty girl here with me,” Alex replied, winking at Maggie. “You guys wanna sit with us? Maybe you can help me remember the names of some of these people I swear went to school with us.”

Vicky nodded and slid into the booth next to Alex, leaving Emily to sit beside Maggie. They quickly began a sweep of the room, trying to figure out who had graduated with them and what they were up to now. When they had made their way through most of the people in the diner, a new group of men waltzed in, acting like they owned the place.

“Ugh, who are they?” Maggie asked.

Vicky laughed loudly. “That would be Tim, Alex’s prom date, and his friends.”

Alex busied herself with a menu, trying to hide the red blush that was creeping up her neck. Unfortunately for her, Tim had spotted them and made his way to their table.

“Alex Danvers! Haven’t see you back in Midvale in years,” Tim said in a booming voice.

“Nope, I’ve uh been busy. How are you, Tim?”

“Great. I’m working at my dad’s company doing some consulting. Wanted to come back to the diner to see who’s around for the holidays.”

“Ah, well, I won’t keep you then. Enjoy your lunch!” Alex squeaked out, hoping he would get the message and leave.

“Nah, we’re still waiting for our table. Who else do we have here? Vicky and Emily, you’re both looking lovely. And you, I don’t think we’ve met. I would have remembered a beautiful face like yours.”

“Maggie Sawyer.” She reached out a hand, which Tim shook. She knew the guy wasn’t really doing anything wrong, but she didn’t particularly like him. “I work with Alex and Vicky at National City University.”

Alex took a shaky breath and added, “She’s also my girlfriend.”

“Ah, very nice! Congratulations,” Tim said with a smile that was too large for the occasion. He added with a wink, “At least now I know why we didn’t get any on prom night, huh?”

Vicky cut in, her lips curled up into a shit-eating grin, “Oh, maybe you didn’t get any, but Alex sure did.” She threw an arm around Alex, who was, for once, praying for an alien attack, or maybe a good old-fashioned murder, or a sinkhole that could open right under their table.

“So the rumors were true, then? That’s hot.”

“Oh fuck off, Tim,” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “She didn’t do it for you; she did it for the amazing sex.”

“So you’re all…uh, gay?” Tim asked, recognizing he was significantly outnumbered.

“Yep. Just a bunch of ladies lovin’ ladies,” Alex added. “But it was so nice seeing you. Have a fabulous new year.”

“Right. You too, Alex. Anyway…see ya round.”

As soon as Tim had made his way back to his group of friends, now seated at a booth on the opposite side of the diner, Maggie, Vicky, and Emily cracked up, Alex soon following their lead.

“I have a feeling this is a question I’m just going to keep asking you, but how in the world did you keep pretending to be straight?” Maggie asked Alex.

“Okay, he is at least cute. And he’s not the worst… A little full of himself, but he’s nothing compared to the last guy I dated.”

“I don’t even want to know, Danvers, I don’t even want to know.”


	52. Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As per a friend's request for some "realistic smut, where not everything goes perfectly all of the time"

After a delayed flight back to National City on Monday night, Alex and Maggie slept in late, only pulling themselves out of Alex’s bed when the promise of breakfast had crept well into brunch timing.

“I have no food here,” Alex grumbled.

“Then you should be a good girlfriend and go get some,” Maggie cheekily replied.

“Come with me? They opened up a new coffee shop down the block. According to Kara their sticky buns are almost as good as Noonan’s.”

After a bit of cajoling, Alex finally lured Maggie out of bed with the promise of hot coffee and a prompt return to her apartment where they could finally go back to enjoying a clothing optional zone without fear of family members or friends intruding.

On the walk, Maggie asked, “Do we have plans for tonight?”

“Christ, it’s New Years Eve, isn’t it?”

“That it is, Danvers. Very observant. Nothing gets by you.”

“Oh fuck off,” Alex said, lightly shoving Maggie with her shoulder. “Kara asked if we wanted to come over. Games. Champagne. Friends. Ball drop. Want to go?”

“We can, sure.”

“You don’t sound overly enthusiastic.”

“No, it’s fine. As long as I’m with you, I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“You are so getting soft on me, Sawyer.”

“You love it,” Maggie taunted back.

When they got back to Alex’s apartment, they both felt a little more like themselves—caffeine had a way of doing that—and they quickly settled into the couch to lounge about while they ate their breakfast. Over food, they talked about their favorite parts of the trip and what they would have to change next year. Alex realized what a change she had really gone through in this relationship; the idea of planning something a year in advance with someone other than Kara would have seemed absurd to the Alex Danvers of years past, but now it just seemed…logical, practical even. They agreed that precautions would need to be taken to avoid illness, and Alex suggested that they take a couple days after finals before immediately jetting off to another state so that neither of them had to cart around stacks of exams. Maggie proposed spending Christmas with Eliza the following year as a way of playing fair between the families. They were in full agreement that Andrés should make a trip to visit them over spring break or summer vacation, or at least Skype with them on a semi-regular basis.

Once they had cleaned up from breakfast, Alex threw out, “I’m gonna take a shower…if you want to save water and all, you’re welcome to join me.”

Maggie grinned and nodded, following close behind Alex. They brushed their teeth together, and then Maggie took the burden of undressing Alex upon herself, quickly pulling off Alex’s clothing and tossing her own across the room as she went. Alex fumbled with the tap as Maggie trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck, Maggie’s hands circling her waist.

When she finally got the water on and warm, Alex dragged Maggie in with her, finally letting her lips find Maggie’s in a searing kiss. “Oh my god, you feel so good,” Alex moaned, trailing her hands up and down Maggie’s body.

Maggie melted into the touch, feeling all the tension of travel and the low levels of anxiety that family always brought about just disappear under Alex’s touch, her tongue, her hands. As they kissed, they both found themselves growing more desperate for the other, hands reaching out and grasping for one another, their breath growing heavy as exhales turned into heady panting.

“Please,” Maggie rasped out, and Alex was quick to comply. She moved to push Maggie against the wall, only to have Maggie slip and nearly hit the ground before Alex caught her.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked, suddenly nervous.

“Fine,” Maggie chuckled, shaking her head. “Perils of shower sex, that’s all.”

Alex nodded and moved back toward Maggie, dropping down to her knees and pressing gentle kisses into Maggie’s soft wet curls. She ducked her head down and ran the tip of her tongue along Maggie’s pussy, darting into her entrance to taste the wetness there.

Just as Maggie was finally getting back into the mood, she looked down and saw Alex squinting her eyes shut, a cascade of water pouring against her face, which Alex, to her credit, was ignoring as she valiantly went about her task between Maggie’s legs.

“Al?” Maggie said, gently cupping Alex’s face with her hand. “This doesn’t look comfortable for you.”

“It’s fine!” Alex lied.

“No one likes a face full of water, babe. You don’t have to do this for me.”

“But I want to make you come,” Alex pouted, pulling herself back upright as she shook the water out of her face.

“You still can! It’s just…maybe the shower isn’t working out for us.”

“But it’s worked for us before. Are we off? Did I do something wrong? Is it because we fought?”

“Alex, no, it’s not that. Trust me, couples fight. We’ll fight more, and probably have worse fights in the future. But it doesn’t mean that we stopped loving each other or that we won’t have the same connection going forward. I mean, sure, maybe our relationship or our habits will change, but it’ll be for the better. Right now, this morning? Shower sex just isn’t working for us. And that’s okay! We’ll go fuck in your bed. Or on the couch. Or the damn kitchen table. I still want you.”  
Alex’s mouth twitched up into a smile as she nodded at Maggie. “What about…the shower floor?” she asked suggestively.

“I suppose it’s worth a try,” Maggie grinned.

Alex rather ungracefully dropped to the floor, more concerned with getting Maggie down with her than with appearances. Chuckling, Maggie carefully kneeled down, pulling Alex under the stream of water and out carefully onto the other side. They met in a sloppy kiss, fingers threading through wet hair as they pulled their slippery bodies as close together as they could get. Alex dug one hand into Maggie’s ass as the other moved between Maggie’s legs. Alex eagerly slipped two fingers inside of Maggie and began thrusting in and out of her.

“Ah,” Maggie gasped.

“You like that?” Alex asked, her voice low and sultry.

“Uh, actually, could you take one finger out? It’s just a little painful.”

Alex blushed a brilliant shade of red and quickly dropped down to one finger, though Maggie reassured her that it was normal and nothing to be embarrassed about. After a few minutes of little to no reaction, Alex slowed her movements and kissed Maggie’s jaw. “Is there…um…something else I should be doing? You’re, well, you’re not really getting any wetter. In fact, the opposite is sort of happening.”

“It’s really not you. It’s just, my knees are killing me kneeling up like this, and sometimes the shower water can be a little drying. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you, fucking you, my body just isn’t responding in those ways right now. And sex doesn’t always need to be about coming, you know? It can be about us being close, which we are.”

Alex nodded, but Maggie caught the doe-eyed expression of hurt, the teeth biting at Alex’s lower lip out of nervousness, the way Alex was clutching her arms around her body as if she were trying to hold herself together. Maggie suspected her words wouldn’t be enough to convince her girlfriend that she was wanted, desired. So Maggie acted instead. Guiding Alex down to the floor of the tub, her head away from the faucet, lest any jerking motions turn into concussions, Maggie took her place between Alex’s legs. She dropped her head down, lapping at Alex’s pussy. Her tongue flitted in and out of Alex’s entrance, trailing teasing patterns up and around her clit, then back down again as she built up a momentum.

After a few minutes, Alex tapped on Maggie’s shoulder.

“Yeah?” Maggie asked, panting slightly.

“Um, maybe the shower isn’t working for us today…”

“Okay…is there something I can do better? Am I not hitting the right spots?”

“No! Everything feels good, but just, it isn’t pushing me over. I think I’m a little bit all in my head now. And you’re basically drowning under the water, no matter how many sounds you make that seem to indicate your enjoyment. And then I realized how much water we’re using. And then when you’re thinking about water consumption and your girlfriend potentially drowning and what in the fuck you would have to write for that obituary, it’s really hard to come.”

Maggie laughed softly, reaching behind her to turn off the water. “I get it, Alex. You don’t need to explain yourself. I was just making sure that you knew you could feel comfortable telling me when I’m not doing something the way you want it. You know I like it when you’re vocal.”

“Oh, you’ve made that abundantly clear, Sawyer,” Alex laughed.

After drying off from the shower, Alex and Maggie dropped back down on the couch. “Do you ever feel like vacation is a lot of work?” Alex asked.

“With a family as big as mine? Always.”

“Thanksgiving was so much easier…”

“That’s because, other than one stressful meal with your mother, we literally just sat around and fucked and talked and watched TV.”

“I hear absolutely nothing wrong with that plan. I propose we spend all vacation time doing just that. Deal?”

“I suspect our families will begin to wonder, but it does sound appealing…”

“I’m taking that as your tacit agreement,” Alex declared, snuggling into Maggie’s side as she let out a contented sigh.

As much as Maggie wanted to let this moment stretch on all evening, she also knew that Kara was expecting them soon enough. “Do you have stuff you need to do before Kara’s party?”

“Ugh, she asked me to pick up some non-alcoholic beverages. And a tray of cookies. Apparently she ate the first platter on her own while cleaning her apartment.

“Hasn’t she been gone as long as we have?”

“Yes. It was probably just vacuuming, which I should really do here at some point too. I used to clean on weekends, ya know. Clean and run and be productive. Now I can barely get myself out of bed without missing the feeling of you next to me.”

“Or on top of you…” Maggie trailed off suggestively.

“Same thing.”

“But I get what you mean. I don’t even want to think about how long it’s been since I’ve seen the state of my apartment. Speaking of which, do I need to go get something fancy to wear to Kara’s tonight? What’s the dress code?”

“Kara likes to alternate. Last year was basically black tie, so, after receiving a few very vocal complaints from her friends, she has declared this year sweatpants and flannel.”

“Ah, a lesbian’s dream,” Maggie joked.


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NYE Part 1! (Part 2 is written but needs to be proofread; it should be up this weekend)
> 
> Also, yes, fair warning, Mon-El is introduced as a character, but I don't despise this version of him. He'll be in NYE Part 2, but probably not much else. No need to worry about this fic going the way of the show...

Alex grumbled the whole way up the stairs to Kara’s apartment. “Of course, the night when she asks us to get drinks and a whole damn platter of desserts, the elevator is broken. She is flying us down to our car. I don’t care who sees. They’ll probably all be too drunk to remember it the next day.”

“Stop complaining, Danvers. Conserve your oxygen.”

Eventually they made it to Kara’s door and were welcomed with boisterous greetings and hugs. Kara quickly took away everything they had brought, adding it to her table, which was covered in more food than they got for department-wide events.

“Is anyone else coming?” Alex asked, surveying the room. So far Kara, Lena, James, and Lucy were there, all decked out in their coziest winter sleepwear.

“Winn! I think he’s bringing his new boy. The guy even took off work, which is apparently a huge deal when you’re a bartender on New Years Eve.”

Alex let out an excited noise. “What do you think he’s like? Do you think he’s cute? Winn hasn’t had a boyfriend in ages!”

Maggie laughed as the Danvers sisters reminisced about Winn’s dating life, including his unrequited crush on Kara during their first year of friendship. She sauntered into the kitchen, chatting with Lena about the CEO’s latest projects as she pulled down cups for drinks.

Lena pulled Maggie aside, “So, you know how Kara doesn’t get drunk?”

“Yeah. She can’t, right?”

“Not from human alcohol…but she was working to bring down some alien fight club when she found this alien bar that serves alcohol that she can, in fact, get drunk off of. Do you think she’ll be okay? I was excited because she was excited, but now I’m a bit worried. I can’t exactly control a drunken superhero if something goes wrong.”

Maggie bit her lip as she considered the options. “We should probably warn Alex. But I think if we keep her to one drink, she’ll be okay. Right? One drink never killed anyone.”

Lena nodded, though she resolved to warn Alex in advance. At least Lucy knew Kara’s secret now—James had demanded that he be allowed to tell Lucy lest she find out later and realize she was the only one out of the loop. Alex had been the only one to put up a good deal of resistance; the rest of them realized that the younger Lane would probably be fine, given that her big sister was married to Superman himself.

While Maggie was pouring two drinks of sparkling water with lime on crushed ice—it looked enough like an alcoholic drink to deter any well-intentioned but tone deaf questions—Winn arrived, a rather cute brunette on his arm. The newcomer was clad in a pair of gray sweatpants and tight workout shirt that showed off abs impressive enough to make even the lesbians in the room take notice. Not that it was going to change anyone’s mind, but still, even gold star lesbians like Maggie and Lena could appreciate the male form in a detached sort of way—like looking at art, they could smile without having any desire to touch.

Kara furrowed her brows in confusion. “Mon-El?”

“Kara?” Winn’s boyfriend responded, looking equally confused.

“Mike?” Winn asked, “How do you know Kara? And why does she know your,” Winn hesitated and lowered his voice, “other name?”

“You know?” Kara asked Winn, her tone slightly incredulous.

“Little hard to ignore it sometimes…”

“Okay, what is going on?” Alex interjected.

Kara started to speak, but Winn cut her off: “Hey! We’ve been good about you. How about you let Mike decide what he’s comfortable revealing?”

Mike looked unfazed by the tension in the room and continued to stand with his arm wrapped around Winn, a broad smile on his face. “Ah, yes, so me now? I go by Mike in certain human circles, but my name is Mon-El originally. Like Kara, I am an alien.”

“Unlike Kara, he is not a Kyrptonian, nor does he work to protect the city,” Kara grumbled.

“Can you be nice?” Winn shot back.

Once more, Mon-El interjected, “Kara and I are from feuding planets. Or, well, they were, until both planets were destroyed. I was happy to forgive her for the failings of her people, but she has been a bit more reluctant. I thought we had gotten somewhere, but it seems not…”

“We had!” Kara snapped. “But I didn’t know you were dating my best friend.”

“I don’t believe you ever asked me.”

“You were…flirty! With me and all of your female customers.”

Mon-El laughed. “I’m a bartender! I make money based on how well I can charm my customers. Also, you know gender didn’t matter on Daxam. ‘The more the merrier,’ is what we always said!”

“Okay, this still doesn’t answer the question of how you met Kara,” Lena interjected. She and Maggie had stepped back with James and Lucy, who both looked rather clueless, but now Lena wanted more information about this man who apparently flirted with her girlfriend.

“Remember the alien bar? He’s one of the bartenders.”

“Alien bar?” Alex asked.

“Place for off-worlders to relax without worrying about getting harassed,” Kara explained quickly before shifting her attention back to Mon-El. “Didn’t you meet Winn at a conference?”

“I did. Just because I work at one bar doesn’t mean I can’t freelance, earn a bit of extra cash. And this one was too cute to ignore. Plus, when he told me he lives in National City the next morning, I realized it didn’t have to end there.”

Alex smirked at Winn, who was now blushing, as Kara put together the different pieces of the story. She finally gasped, “Winn!” earning a round of laughter from everyone else.

Eventually Kara conceded that Mon-El had been helpful in getting information she needed to bring down the alien ring, though she thought he could be doing more for the city than just serving drinks to its alien population. Still, she had to admit that he was charming in his own way, even if he reminded her of an annoying little brother she hadn’t asked for.

Sensing the defusing tension, Mon-El pulled out his bag: “I brought booze for all! Including alien liquor. I thought it would just be for me, but I’m more than happy to share!”

Alex tensed, but Maggie was there to wrap a protective arm around her, handing Alex her now slightly diluted lime sparkling water and kissing her on the cheek. She held Alex all through the introductions, as Mon-El met everyone on better terms than when he had first walked through the door. Winn still seemed miffed at Kara, but being around Mon-El did make him slightly giddy.

Within the hour, just about everyone drinking was pleasantly buzzed. Maggie and Alex were, of course, sober, and Kara was still just sniffing at her drink, ignoring Mon-El’s teasing. “What if I don’t like it?” Kara pouted.

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to drink it, dear,” Lena offered quietly.

“What if you don’t like me when I’m drunk?”

“It’s one cup. Mon-El has already had about four and seems almost sober. I think you’ll be okay.”

Kara nodded, steeling her resolve before tipping the cup back and draining its contents, leaving everyone speechless.

“Wow. I, uh, I did not expect that,” Mon-El laughed, offering Kara a high five, which she graciously returned. “Mad props, Supergirl.”

Lena watched Kara nervously until the blonde let out a loud giggle. “I feel…floaty. But I’m not floating.” She snorted as she continued to laugh loudly, Lena joining in soon afterward.

“Kara Danvers drunk. That’s something I never thought I’d get to see,” Alex said with a smile, shaking her head at her younger sister.

“What kind of drunk do you think I am?” Kara asked, leaning back and nearly toppling over as she considered the options.

“What kind of drunk do you think you are?” James asked.

“No fair! It’s my first time. You guys tell me yours.”

“Flirty drunk,” Lucy offered, getting the conversation started.

“Up for anything,” Mon-El threw in. “But seriously, I mean, if you guys wanna go like up on the rooftop or something, I’m pretty strong and fast. I could get us up there for sure.”

Maggie chucked at the offer. “Not angry, but I’d fight a stranger when drunk. I have, actually. A few times…”

“I’m more likely to have sex than fight when drunk,” Lena admitted, as Alex covered her ears and hummed, making the already giggly Kara laugh even harder.

“I don’t know,” James said. “I think I’m just a little more friendly? I don’t think people ever really know.”

“That’s true,” Lucy confirmed, pulling her boyfriend in for a hug. “It’s ’cause you’re so muscle-y, the alcohol doesn’t affect you that much.”

“I get super excited until suddenly I pass out or fall asleep,” Winn admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. Mon-El, however, didn’t seem to mind and swept his boyfriend into his arms with a kiss, calling him “adorable,” especially when he was pathetically hungover.

Alex realized people had started looking to her, as she was the last one up, “Oh, uh, probably a slutty drunk too. No inhibitions.”

“So what am I??” Kara asked enthusiastically.

“I’d say you’re giggly, dear,” Lena declared, and everyone nodded in agreement.


	54. Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NYE Part 2 - featuring some Sunday smut ;)

By 11, the group had eaten through a large amount of the food, as they got increasingly drunk. Alex was pleased to see that no one was wasted, although Kara was slurring her words, which the superhero found utterly amusing. They had made it through a few different board games, though most of them ended with at least one player walking away bored by the long wait for his or her turn. Eventually they turned on the television, letting some superhero show play as Kara whined about the inaccuracies.

Mon-El and Winn soon wandered out to the balcony under the pretense of letting Mon-El show his boyfriend where his planet used to be, though everyone had seen the flush that had overtaken Winn’s face when Mon-El whispered to him. Lucy, true to her self-proclaimed drunk type, was sitting in James’ lap, smiling up at him as she trailed her fingers across his arms, having insisted that he take off his sweatshirt to let everyone admire his muscles in a tank top. Lena, feeling slightly possessive over Kara at the sight of her very muscular ex-boyfriend, pulled Kara into her for a more passionate kiss than they would normally share in front of company.

Alex looked up at Maggie, her fingers tapping at her empty glass. “Being sober is hella awkward.”

Maggie chuckled, “Would seem that way tonight…shall we get a snack? Leave them to it?” she asked, gesturing at the two other couples who were both wrapped up in each other.

“Yeah.”

But when the women turned back toward the table, they were greeted with the sight of Winn’s back pressed firmly up against the glass door to the balcony and Mon-El’s hands in Winn’s hair.

Alex made a noise of disgust. “It’s not that I don’t approve of all forms of sexuality, but Winn is like my little brother. So I’ve now seen both of my little siblings getting groped in the course of a minute. Please kill me.”

Maggie bit back a laugh. For her, it was nothing worse than what she saw most nights at the gay bars—in fact, it was tamer—but still, none of them were related to her in any way. She grabbed Alex by the hand and picked up a handful of cookies as she led them to Kara’s room. When she realized that from the bed they had a perfect view of the living room, where a very giggly Kara Danvers was straddling a very handsy Lena Luthor, Maggie pushed the door shut.

“What’s that for?” Alex asked, having missed the show on the sofa.

“Nothing. Just wanted to be able to talk without being interrupted by giggles or sights I don’t need to see.”

“Ugh, amen to that.” Alex reached over and grabbed one of the cookies, handing a refilled cup back to Maggie in exchange. “So, Sawyer, what have been your best and worst New Years Eves?”

“Hard hitting questions, Danvers,” Maggie teased. “Uh, my best was probably my first year of college. It was the first time I had a date to kiss at the ball drop and the first time I really felt safe doing so, ya know? Because no matter how accepting some people were back home, they didn’t keep the rest of them from being homophobic shits. The worst ones were definitely when I was on the force and would work the night shift in Gotham. I mean, Gotham was pretty much always hell, but with all the drunks and young people out…god, they were like walking targets.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Mags.”

“Don’t worry about it. I…I didn’t get over it, but I’ve grieved, processed, dealt with it. I took the job to help prevent some of it, and I did. But it was never a fun way to ring in the new year. What about you?”

“Huh. I never really loved going out on this night. Other nights, sure, but New Years Eve and Valentines Day—too much shit built into the holiday to make it worth it. But senior year of high school, Vicky and I had our own private celebration. Shut up, in advance. I know now that I was a big homo, but I was still clueless then. I had just broken up with one of the popular boys, so I couldn’t go to the class party. Vicky volunteered to stick around with me and watch movies all night. We had the house all to ourselves, and we had a dance party and ate junk food and binge watched crappy movies all night. And she kissed my cheek when the ball dropped.”

“I know you said no comments, but please! You were such a little lesbian.”

“Hush now. And worst? I don’t know, probably after my dad died. We found out in the late fall, so it sort of put a damper on all of the holiday stuff.”

“I’m sorry, Al, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

“No, no, it’s like you said: you grieve and process and get on with your life. You can still miss someone without it being an active hurt anymore.”

Maggie nodded, and the two sat in silence for a little while before switching back to old stories and funny memories, lightening the mood considerably. “Think they’re done out there?” Alex asked.

Maggie poked her head out the door, checking for her girlfriend. “No, definitely not,” Maggie laughed, taking in the sight of Kara and Lena still tangled together on the couch. Apparently drunk Kara was much less shy about all things sexual than sober Kara.

Alex groaned. “Not only are we the only sober ones, but because of that, we’re also the only ones not getting any.”

“We had sex earlier today,” Maggie offered.

“Yeah, but neither of us came.” Alex rushed to add, “Not that I’m mad about it! I know, I know, nothing is wrong with not coming, but still. It’s nice when we do.”

“I get that, don’t worry. But I mean, other than Kara, no one else knows we’re not drinking. And I don’t think she’s in any state to notice. So we could also go make out like drunk teenagers with the rest of them if you want.”

Alex chuckled, “We don’t have a couch, though; they’re all taken.”

“Ah, but we do have a bed if we really want to turn this into a drunken college party.”

“Eww, no! Still my sister’s bed. I suppose the bathroom wouldn’t be the worst thing…”

Maggie grinned at Alex and quickly led her into the bathroom, closing the door behind them. “This is still just like college,” Maggie teased.

“You make out with a lot of girls in bathrooms, Sawyer?”

“All the time.” Maggie winked. “No one questions it when two girls go to the bathroom together.”

Alex rolled her eyes and pulled Maggie into her, kissing her softly at first as she ran her fingers across the thin t-shirt Maggie had thrown on under her flannel shirt. As Maggie pushed Alex’s back up against the cool tile wall, Alex gasped. Maggie took that as her cue to deepen the kiss, slipping her tongue into Alex’s mouth as she pushed a thigh between Alex’s legs.

They made out like that for a while, groping at each other through their clothes and giggling at the slight absurdity of the situation. Maggie chanced her luck, dropping a hand down under the waistband of Alex’s leggings, pushing them down slightly. “Can I?” she asked, her voice a low rasp.

Alex nodded, threading her fingers through Maggie’s hair and pulling her in close. Maggie pushed Alex’s leggings down, pulling one of Alex’s legs up and hooking it around her own hips as her fingers found Alex’s pussy.

“You’re not that wet, you sure you want this?” Maggie asked.

Alex whispered, “Don’t tease me. Please.”

“What do you need to get wetter, baby? Do you need my tongue? Do you need me to tell you how fucking sexy you are? Do you want to feel how wet I am, how turned on I get from just the idea that I’m gonna get to fuck you, feel you come under my hands, my tongue?”

Alex whimpered as her hips bucked involuntarily into Maggie’s hands. “Do you really like fucking me that much?”

“I love it. On those rare nights when we’re apart but I still need something, still need to come, it’s all I need to think about to push me over the edge. I think about how fucking perfect you look, sprawled out underneath me, the way you drip down my fingers while I fuck you, how amazing you taste, the noises you make when I have my hands or the dick buried so deep inside you. Fuck, Alex, just thinking about it now has me soaking wet.”

Alex shoved Maggie’s sweatpants down, the large pants pooling at her ankles, followed quickly by the baggy boxers Maggie had opted for to complete the butch aesthetic she was rocking that night. Alex gasped when her fingers found how wet Maggie really was. “You were being honest? This is all because of me?”

Grinding against Alex’s fingers, Maggie panted, “Yes, of course. You do these things to me, you have to know that.”

“That’s really hot,” Alex admitted, smiling shyly under the intensity of Maggie’s gaze, her eyes dark with lust but her expression full of love.

“Now can I please make you come?”

“Oh god, yes,” Alex exhaled, dragging Maggie’s hand back down to her pussy.

Maggie smirked at how wet Alex had gotten for her and quickly pushed one, then two fingers inside the taller woman. As they found their way into a rhythm, Kara’s voice rang out, words still slurring together, “Ten minutes to the ball drop! I’ll be with Lena til then, don’t disturb us!”

Maggie turned back to Alex, a challenge glimmering in her eyes, “Think you can come in ten minutes?”

“I think I can come in two minutes if you get to work,” Alex taunted.

Maggie bit her lip. She adored Alex’s competitive side, and when it came out in the bedroom, well, that was just a bonus. She quickly picked up the pace again, throwing all of her weight into her actions as she pushed Alex back against the tile wall.

Alex looped her arms around Maggie’s neck to keep her balance, one of her legs thrown up and around Maggie’s waist again. She trembled as Maggie’s fingers curled forward, dragging along her g-spot again and again. She pulled Maggie in for a sloppy, open-mouth kiss, hoping to muffle her moans. Maggie could tell how close Alex was, and she pulled the woman impossibly close, swallowing the noises that escaped Alex as she flicked her thumb across Alex’s hard clit, finally feeling Alex shudder into her as she came.

Alex clung to Maggie through the aftershocks, still uncertain about the steadiness of her own legs. “How much time do you think we have left?”

“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe five minutes before they all start gathering for the countdown?” Maggie guessed.

“Think you can come that fast, Sawyer?”

Maggie groaned in response. She had assumed this would be about Alex once they got the countdown warning, though she certainly wasn’t opposed to coming…

Alex dropped to her knees, her head between Maggie’s legs. “Tell me if you want me to stop,” Alex whispered, her breath hot and teasing against Maggie's sensitive skin. She ran her tongue up the length of Maggie’s pussy, moaning as copious amounts of arousal spilled across her tongue and onto her chin. As much as she wanted to stay here for hours, worshiping Maggie’s body, she knew they were on a deadline. So she went to work, burying her tongue in Maggie’s folds as she dragged her nails down Maggie’s ass. Maggie gasped at the hot burn of Alex’s nails, knowing she would wear the red streaks like a badge of honor for the next few days.

“Inside me,” Maggie grunted, not trusting herself to stay quiet if she opened her mouth again. Luckily Alex heard and listened, thrusting a finger up and into Maggie as she sucked the woman’s clit into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. She missed hearing Maggie’s loud moans, but she took solace in the way Maggie got wetter and wetter under her ministrations, her walls squeezing tightly around Alex’s finger. When Alex suddenly picked up the pace, fucking Maggie harder and faster as she sucked insistently at Maggie’s clit, Maggie let out a quiet, “Fuck,” her hands dropping down to the sink to hold herself up as she shuddered through a near-silent orgasm.

Alex drew herself back up, leaving a wet kiss on Maggie’s neck. She smirked at Maggie, who was still clutching the sink and trying to catch her breath. Alex splashed a bit of water across her flushed face and washed her hands. Maggie finally seemed to come to, also running her hands under the water before pulling her pants back up. Alex took Maggie’s hand in hers and guided her back to the living room, sneaking toward the snack table in the hopes that they would be able to act like they were there the whole time.

Kara surfaced for air again at the sound of her phone alarm going off. “Two minutes!” she yelled. “Make your way to the living room!”

Lucy and James, who had stopped making out a little while back for James’ sake, laughed at Kara’s quick attention shift, which had left Lena disheveled and confused. Winn and Mon-El came stumbling back inside, Winn shivering slightly from the chill. Alex and Maggie just rolled their eyes, pretending to have been above the antics of the rest.

The group was all settled by the time they hit the minute countdown, and Kara insisted on yelling out the numbers once they hit 30 seconds. Everyone else joined in at the normal 10-second mark, and they all cheered as the clock struck midnight.

Mon-El swept Winn up in his arms, kissing him soundly and carrying him to the door. “We on Daxam have ways of celebrating the new year that don’t involve others, unless, well, unless they did. But I think that’s not for tonight. So goodnight, all!”

Kara scoffed and rolled her eyes, but quickly found herself distracted again by her girlfriend, as she placed small kisses all across Lena’s mouth and cheeks, squealing about all the plans they would have to make for the coming year.

Lucy giggled into a kiss with James, who wrapped strong arms around her and lifted her up into a big bear hug.

Alex whispered, “Ready to be my first New Years kiss that isn’t on the cheek?”

“I thought you dated men over the years,” Maggie replied.

“Never had a boyfriend on December 31st. Now shut up and kiss me,” she teased, leaning forward and meeting Maggie’s lips in a sweet kiss.


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delays, but I'm back from the land of impending deadlines! A few more coming in the next couple of weeks, but they're more spaced out (thank god), so I should get back to regular updates!  
> I actually have the next 4 or 5 chapters all done, but I needed a bit more to go in between the end of break and the start of the next bunch, which are rather plot heavy, including some action and angst.

Alex and Kara hummed happily while strolling the aisles of the office supply store. There was nothing like the start of the new semester to justify splurging on some fancy new notebooks and pens, in addition to a desk calendar and planner for the new year. While Alex found herself drawn to the muted tones and dark colors of the Moleskin notebooks, Kara gravitated toward the wide variety of neon highlighters and bright Post-Its, which were perfect for her color-coded system for arranging her schedule. 

Once the women had picked out everything they needed, they strolled through the sale bins. Kara tried to convince Alex to indulge in some folders decorated with photos of kittens, though Alex insisted she needed to maintain a tough exterior to keep her students in line. 

“Oh please, I doubt anyone would ever accuse Prof. Danvers of going soft.”

“Maggie would. And has.”

“That’s different; she’s never been in your class.”

“Neither have you,” Alex countered with a laugh.

“True…but I did try to have you tutor me in your Earth’s sciences. And that was a disaster.”

“Ugh, you wanted me to speak slowly enough for you to copy everything down in bubbly cursive. Excuse me for losing patience.”

Kara rolled her eyes but put back the kitten folders. “Oooh! Wait! Look at this rainbow lunchbox! You need some pride in your accessories. We must get it.”

“Why don’t you get it? You’re dating a woman too.”

“Because if you combine all of my color-coding, you get the rainbow, so my whole office supply kit is already basically pride-themed. Please,” Kara pouted.

“Kara. When is the last time I packed a lunch that wasn’t a protein bar?”

“I bet Maggie would help cook for you. You’d probably be less grumpy. And save a ton of money by not going to Noonan’s constantly.”

“Says the woman who buys their sticky buns by the dozen…”

“Alien metabolism! Point being: put a little pride in your life, Alex.”

Alex shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not even out in the department.”

“Well now, wouldn’t this lunchbox be such an easy remedy to that problem?”

Shaking her head at Kara’s endless optimism, Alex suggested, “I think I’ll take care of it in a less ostentatious way. Not that I don’t love your support! But I think half of my colleagues would have a heart attack if I so much as wore two colors. God knows what would happen if I brought in a whole damn rainbow.”

“You know they’ll be okay with you being gay.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they will be. I will…you know, get around to telling them. I owe it to Hank—J’onn, I suppose, now that you know too—but it’s not like I’ve ever been particularly friendly or open with that many of the other faculty members. We work together—not much else.”

“Fine, fine. I’m just saying, if I see something in a subdued black or navy that still announces some gay pride, I’m totally getting it for you.”

Alex chucked, “Deal. Now, are we going to do our annual testing of the desk chairs?”

“Alex. Would I ever sacrifice the opportunity to spin my sister as fast as I can in an expensive leather cocoon? Rhetorical question! Because the answer is obvious. Race you there!”

\---

“So, Danvers, got any plans for the first day back?” Maggie asked, curling tighter into Alex’s side as her girlfriend queued up the next episode of Buffy. 

“Hmm, teaching classes?” Alex replied cheekily.

“Shut up. You’re no fun.”

“Oh I think after last weekend you have to admit I can be a lot of fun.”

“Mmm, yes you can.” After a moment of silence as Maggie thought back over all that they had done over the weekend, she snapped, “Hey! Don’t go distracting me with your sexy memories! I’m serious. There’s a thing I want to go to with you.”

“Could you be more vague?” Alex laughed. “But I am free that night. Got a restaurant you want to try?”

“Actually, it’s the welcome back reception for NCU’s LGBTQ Center. I went to the one in the fall, and it was a lot of fun. I thought, well, I thought maybe you would want to go. Together.”

“You asking me to be your date?”

“That depends. Are you going to put out at the end of the evening?”

“That depends too. What will you be wearing?”

“Whatever you want, baby. But seriously. Do you want to go? I know a month or two ago you were shocked to learn that we even had a Center, so I don’t want to assume that you’re comfortable just showing up at one of their biggest events of the year. Not that they wouldn’t welcome you with open arms! They absolutely will. But I want you to do things when you’re ready.”

“You know, I was actually just talking to Kara about some of this stuff—the whole coming out at work. I know I’m not exactly the most boisterous and loud lesbian, but I am proud of who I am. I’m far more proud of someone like you, who was brave enough to come out in a conservative town at a young age, but still. Plus, like you said, it probably helps students to see happy out adults.”

“Hey, don’t discount or belittle your own experience. It’s powerful and brave in its own way. Everyone’s story is. But really? I’m so excited!”

“Yes, really. Now do you want to watch our episode, or are you going to reward me?”

“Let’s save your reward for after the event, hmm? Plus, cramps and period…really just in the mood for vegan ice cream and cuddling, if that’s cool with you.”

“Of course, Mags. Let’s watch the Scooby Gang find out what college is like.”

\---

Alex knocked on J’onn’s door a few days before classes started. The faculty had begun trickling back in, cleaning up their offices and making copies of their syllabi in anticipation of the start of the semester. 

“Come in,” came J’onn’s booming voice.

“Hi, J’onn—sorry! Hank,” Alex fumbled, already nervous about the coming conversation.

J’onn shot her a small smile. “We can keep it Hank when the door is open. But maybe shut my door anyway. How are you, Alex?”

“I’m good. Fine. Yeah. And you? How was your break?”

“I can’t complain. Kept myself busy with work and my…other work. Nothing like staying alert while Kara’s away to keep me on my toes.”

“She very much appreciated having the time away. I’m sure she’ll be by soon enough to thank you herself.”

“Oh she already has. And she brought me some lovely baked goods from Midvale as well. Now, as much as I enjoy catching up, I assume you have something specific to discuss, since you went so far as to schedule a formal appointment with me.”

“Right.” Alex drummed her nails on her thigh as she tried to find a good place to start. “So, um, sir, this past semester I had some time to think. Or reflect, I suppose. And I realized some things about myself. Things that I want to tell you. Because I do, well, I think of you as more than just my boss. You’re a mentor. And the reason for my success. You’re like a father to me. And the easiest way to get to the point is probably just to come out with it…literally. I’m a lesbian.” Before J’onn could say anything, she took a deep breath and continued: “Also, I’m dating Maggie. Professor Sawyer. I promise I have not let it interfere with my work or mentorship of the new faculty. I treated her just like I treated the others and made sure that they all attended the same number of training sessions.”

“If I may cut in, first, I would like to offer my congratulations. Second, although I know that you are very professional, you will both need to check in with Pam in HR to fill out some paperwork and watch videos on sexual harassment in the workplace.”

“Noted. We will do that.”

“Thank you, Alex.”

“If I may ask: why do you not sound surprised in the slightest?”

“Remember when I came out to you in my own way? As J’onn? I told you I had certain powers, among them, telepathy.”

Alex blushed scarlet. “I, uh, I thought you didn’t use that one.”

“I don’t use it intentionally. But some thoughts are louder than others, and, Alex, yours were screaming for a few weeks or so. I could have said something to comfort you, but it wasn’t my place. You needed to come to me whenever you felt ready. And thank you for trusting me with this news. I really am proud of you.”

Alex felt herself getting slightly emotional—choked up, even. “Thank you, J’onn.”

“Of course. And, since you’re already blushing, I may as well say it now: you should note that some grad students and professors stay here late to do work. And we do have janitorial staff members that come in on nights and weekends. So please, let’s let some of your disturbingly loud thoughts about your office remain as thoughts only.”

Her jaw clenched tightly and her eyes wide with shock, Alex nodded and scurried out with a high-pitched goodbye and promise to go see Pam. She hurried down the hallway to find Maggie.

“Professor Sawyer!” Alex called out as she walked into Maggie’s office.

“Yes, Professor Danvers?” Maggie asked, fighting back a smirk.

Once the door was shut, Alex flung herself into one of the chairs. “I came out to Hank.”

“Good job! I’m proud of you!”

“Thanks. He already knew. We have to go see Pam in HR—just a formality, really.”

“When?”

“I made us an appointment for this afternoon.”

“Oh, wow, okay. Really getting this ball rolling quickly.”

“Trust me, it’s just…it’s better if we can do everything by the book and let it just clear right on out of Hank’s mind.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow in confusion but shrugged it off. “Alright, lunch then head over to HR together?”

“Sounds good, Sawyer.”

\---

A few days later and with all of the HR paperwork settled, Alex was ready to go be an out member of the campus LGBTQ community. It didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous. In fact, she had been slightly on edge all day, sending Maggie a string of text messages in between her classes and meetings:

“Is my outfit gay enough?”

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Is it weird that I’m still a baby gay?”

“They all know you. What if they think I’m not right for you? You deserve someone who’s been out for longer. There are probably prettier women there.”

“Do you think they’ll have good snacks?”

When Maggie finally made it back to her office where she had left her phone, she bit her lip to keep from smiling at all of Alex’s unfounded fears. She replied: “I promise, your outfit is almost always gay enough. Also, you can be gay however you damn well please. They’ll like you; you’re a good person, even if you’re not that extroverted. It’s not weird that you’re a baby gay. If anyone thinks you’re not good enough for me, then they’re just wrong. You and I make each other happy, and that’s all that matters. And yes, the snacks are amazing. It’s a party organized by the gays. There will be amazing pastries and vegan options as far as the eye can see. Not to stereotype…”

Eventually 6 o’clock rolled around, and Maggie knocked on Alex’s door. “You ready?”

Alex made a small noise in response that sounded distinctly nervous, but she nodded and gathered her things.

“I promise, Al, it’s going to be fun. And if it’s not? We leave. Easy as that.”

“Okay, yeah, alright.”

As it turned out, Alex didn’t need to worry. After the initial awkwardness faded, Alex found herself enjoying the reception. She recognized a few of her past students, as well as some of her colleagues, including Vicky.

“Long time no see, Al!” Vicky laughed, pulling Alex into a hug. “And Maggie! Great seeing you too. Though, you’ve been to some of these events before…more than we can say for Dr. Danvers over here.”

“Hey!” Alex pouted. “It’s not my fault I’m late to the game.”

“Not my fault either. Trust me, I tried to the best of my abilities,” Vicky teased, winking at Alex, who promptly blushed a light pink. 

“Don’t make her feel funny about being new,” Maggie jumped to Alex’s defense. “She’s already nervous.”

“Ugh, you make me sound like a dog at the vet who’s all jumpy or something,” Alex grumbled.

Vicky laughed it off, “Of course not. I’m just happy to see you here and happy. Now let me go introduce you to half of the English Department.” 

As it turned out, Vicky really wasn’t kidding. Alex lost track of the number of new professors she met—professors who could apparently study and teach things like queer theory and LGBT literature—but she enjoyed the conversations and left with a long list of reading recommendations and book titles, some of which she swore she recognized from Maggie’s bookshelves.

A little while later, while Maggie was off getting a plate of desserts for them to share, Sarah, the barista/biology PhD candidate, came up to Alex. “I’m so glad you made it, Professor! How was your break?”

“Sarah, it’s good to see you too. The break was nice. Traveled to see family, did some grading, caught up on a few shows—the usual. What about yours?”

“My wife and I spent the holidays with my family, then took ourselves on a short vacation out to Colorado for skiing. Or, well, she did the skiing, and I drank hot chocolate.”

“That sounds like fun. Are you looking forward to your last semester? I know I still owe you coffee, and don’t worry, you will make it on my schedule.”

“I trust you. I’m really looking forward to being done. Less so the final defense that will need to happen before I can really call it done…but still.”

While Alex and Sarah were engrossed in a discussion about Sarah’s research, Maggie came back over and wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist, causing the taller woman to startle slightly.

“How are you, Sarah?” Maggie asked.

“Can’t complain. And you?”

“Same here. Lovely company, excellent food, what’s not to like?”

“So am I to deduce that Professor Danvers here is your lovely company? Maggie, would you be Thanksgiving woman? AKA: the first person I’ve ever seen her buy breakfast for in my years as a barista at her favorite coffee shop?”

Maggie smirked while Alex stammered and kicked Maggie’s foot.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound overly suggestive. I just, I’ve gotten to know Maggie pretty well over the last semester, and I knew she found someone who made her quite happy. So unless she’s cheating on that woman…I sort of figure you’re her. I’m not going to out you to the whole department or anything like that, you know?”

“Right, right. Sorry. I just, I’m still new to all of this. Especially to the whole idea of being open with students and colleagues about any part of my personal life…I think that’s weirder than anything else.”

Maggie laughed. “My girlfriend: the anti-social one.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re an adorable couple. Maybe one day—after graduation, if it would make you feel better, Dr. Danvers—my wife and I could have you over for dinner.”

“I think that would be very nice, Sarah,” Maggie quickly replied.

“Right, no, I agree. Also, given that you already call Maggie Maggie…and we’re the same age with only a semester to go before your graduation, you can probably just call me Alex.”

Sarah grinned and nodded. “You let me know whenever that comfort level switches all the way up to comfort with dinner. Until then, just email me about coffee and career chats?”

“Of course.”


	56. Chapter 56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're about to get into some real plot-heavy chapters, including a bit of violence (both threatened and real). While I made up the main villain, the group and her lackeys all come from the Batwoman comic books :)

As much as Maggie had been enjoying her long stretches of uninterrupted time with Alex, she was happy to go and check in on her long-abandoned apartment when Kara texted Alex about doing a sister night after the first week of the semester. It finally gave her some time to run errands—little things like picking up groceries to replace all of the food that had spoiled or been finished before their trip and getting in a few loads of laundry—and to just relax. She even called her mom to tell her about her time with the Danvers. While she was folding her laundry, watching reruns of old comedies, she felt her eyelids begin to droop. She and Alex hadn’t exactly done much sleeping these past few nights, she reasoned, so Maggie decided she deserved a quick nap.

Meanwhile, Alex had shown up to Kara’s apartment laden with bags and bags of Chinese takeout. She figured it was worth footing the bill to ensure that Kara didn’t bring up the…incident in Midvale again.

She was more than a little surprised to find an empty apartment with no note or text. She texted Maggie to get her advice and received no response. At this point, Alex had started to panic; she wondered whether Kara had gone universe-hopping again. She figured that Lena might know and pulled out her phone to call the other woman.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lena. Are you by any chance with Kara?”

“No, I thought it was sister night?” Lena replied, her tone laced with confusion.

“It is. Or, it was supposed to be. Kara isn’t here. Do you know if she was planning to go somewhere else first?”

“She did leave here early to do a sweep of the city as Supergirl. She said that she had gotten an anonymous tip about some weird crime cult that was trying to set up operations in National City.”

“And she went alone?” Alex swore under her breath; it was so like Kara to get a tip and just act without consulting other people who might be able to help, even if it was just doing research or gathering surveillance footage.

“She promised me that they weren’t particularly powerful yet. I…” Lena paused. She hated sounding weak, but it was Kara; it was different. “Would you let me know if you hear from her? Or if there’s anything I can do?”

“Of course. I’m sure she’s just…late…maybe she got stuck saving some kittens in trees or something. You know Kara.”

“Right, of course.” Lena didn’t sound convinced, but she also knew that Kara was powerful and capable of holding her own. “Hopefully I’ll hear from you soon, Alex.”

“Me too. Bye, Lena.”

Alex hung up the phone and paced around Kara’s apartment, rubbing her forehead. She debated calling Hank and decided that if Kara didn’t show up in the next half hour, she would. She turned on the news, looking for any footage of Supergirl out saving the day. So far they were only showing clips from her rescue of a drowning child earlier that day.

After 22 very long minutes, Supergirl tumbled through the window, stumbling to a clumsy landing.

“Where the hell have you been?” Alex yelled, pulling Kara into a tight embrace and checking her for any visible damage.

“I’m okay,” Kara said, brushing off Alex’s attention. “Sorry, I just, I got a warning about this group—they call themselves the Religion of Crime. Apparently they’re trying to set up a coven in National City, and from what I heard, they really did a number in Gotham. I guess when their plans got foiled again there, they decided to come after a new target. Too bad for them, since I’m here to defend my city.”

“Kara,” Alex said, letting out a shaky breath, “I don’t care that you have superpowers. You don’t go after a band of lunatics without telling anyone what you’re doing! If they did such awful things in Gotham, you shouldn’t underestimate them, even if they are just setting up operations here.”

“Fine. But really, I went to their base. It’s not that sophisticated. I’ve gone up against way worse, Alex. And the handful I fought there weren’t that powerful. Honestly, I don’t think they were expecting a superhero.”

Little did Kara know that they were absolutely expecting a superhero, having contacted her themselves, that they had fallen so easily by design, not fault, planting microphones and trackers on her uniform as they fought.

“I’m calling Maggie. I assume if they were really such a big thing in Gotham, she would have encountered them during her years on the force.”

“Fine,” Kara conceded. “Can it wait until after our food?”

Alex debated waiting. “I’d really prefer calling her now…but I guess I can just text her. I’m calling right after dinner, though.” Alex sent a quick text to Maggie: “Religion of Crime – heard of them? Apparently they’re setting up a coven in National City. Supergirl took some of them down today. She says they’re pretty weak, but they were strong in Gotham. I want to know what she’s up against. If you can help, I promise unlimited back rubs for a weekend ;)”

“Oh! Call Lena!” Alex yelled, remembering how worried the other woman had sounded, even if she had tried to mask it under a cool exterior. Alex had too much experience in hiding emotions to believe Lena’s affected confidence.

Kara quickly dialed her girlfriend, while Alex began dishing up plates of food, getting as much as she could on her first plate, knowing she probably wouldn’t get a chance at seconds. She chuckled softly as she heard Kara apologizing over and over again for scaring Lena; she was glad to see Kara groveling for a change and hoped Lena could help convince her to be more careful going forward. While Kara was telling Lena not to worry, that not only did she have superpowers, but they also had Maggie who might have inside information, a loud crash from the bedroom startled them, causing Kara to drop her phone, leaving Lena calling out in vain.

Kara transitioned immediately into superhero mode, using her x-ray vision to check her room as she pulled Alex closer to her. When she saw what looked like a werewolf rearing up, ready to charge out of her bedroom, she swept Alex into her arms, determined to fly her sister to safety before returning to deal with whatever mess the creature might make in her apartment in the interim. But when she got to the balcony, she found a group of menacing looking men pointing guns at them, all smart enough to train them on Alex, rather than Supergirl. Kara wondered if she might be able to cover Alex while they ran for the front door, but, as if they could hear her thoughts, a group of monstrous individuals kicked in her front door. It looked as if a swarm of failed science experiments had invaded her apartment, as half-human, half-animal creatures spilled into the living room.

Putting on a brave front, Kara called out, “What do you want?”

“You,” came the low purr of a lithe woman who stepped out in front of the crowd in her doorway. She was clad in all black, the only flashes of color were her bright red lips and nails. She shook her mane of long, jet-black hair over her shoulder as she nudged her way past what looked like a human-sized praying mantis.

“Then you let her go,” Kara demanded, motioning to Alex.

The woman cackled. “No, no, I think she’s going to come with us too.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because she matters to you. And she matters to someone else as well…someone who might be able to get the attention of a woman I’ve been _dying_ to catch up with.”

Alex’s mind whirled as she tried to piece together the information. She assumed these villains must be from the crime cult that Kara thought she had defeated. Who did she matter to, other than Kara? Maggie. But it wasn’t Maggie they were after…it was someone she might contact. She hoped she hadn’t put Maggie in harm’s way by texting her.

Steadying her breath, Alex reasoned aloud, “Then you should leave me to get in touch with this person you so desperately want to see.”

The woman smirked. “You’re brave for one with no powers. But I’m not that stupid. Trust me, she’ll know soon enough, if she doesn’t already.”

“Who are you?” Kara demanded.

“Why haven’t you heard? I’m the new High Madame.”

“And your name?

“You can just call me Madame.” With that, she snapped her fingers as her followers quickly moved in, surrounding the Danvers sisters. Alex was quickly pried away from Kara’s arms and held out, a knife against her throat. “If you want your sister to live, you’ll come with me, Supergirl, or should I say, Kara?” the Madame taunted, loving the way that Supergirl’s face fell when she revealed how much she already knew about her.


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hopefully this all makes sense even if you haven't read Batwoman (though knowledge of the new 52 Batwoman certainly gives some clues about what's going on/heightens the dramatic tension)

When silence once more descended on the room at the other end of the call, Lena hung up her phone, her hands shaking as she fought back tears. She quickly dialed Maggie, wondering if the other woman knew yet. She assumed, based on what Kara had told her on the phone and what she overheard from the woman who kidnapped Kara and Alex, that Maggie was the missing link between the Madame and the person the Madame wanted to see. 

The ringing of her phone pulled Maggie out of what had become a rather deep sleep. “Hello?” she mumbled groggily.

“Maggie,” Lena cried, “you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?” Maggie asked, her years of training helping her to snap quickly back to attention. She looked at her phone and gasped when she saw Alex’s text message. “Fuck,” she breathed out.

“So you know?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know the Religion of Crime was in town. They’re bad news, Lena. God, I hope Supergirl is being careful.”

Lena sighed, realizing that Maggie didn’t know the full extent of what had happened. “It’s a bit late for that. They showed up to Kara’s apartment and kidnapped her and Alex.”

“What?” Maggie yelled, jumping up and scattering laundry everywhere. “Where are they?” 

“If I knew, do you think I’d still be on the phone with you?” Lena snapped, her patience wearing thin as her mind was consumed with worry.

“Sorry. I have to go. I know someone I think can help.”

“Wait! Maggie, that’s what they want. That’s why they took Alex. The new High Madame—Madame, she calls herself—she said she was taking Alex because she mattered to someone who would be able to get in touch with the person she really wanted to see.”

“Yeah…that figures. I still need to try.”

“I know. Is there anything I can do?”

“Honestly? Not now. I’m gonna call some of my old contacts from Gotham and see if I can’t get ahold of NCPD as well. I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

Maggie hung up on Lena and quickly steeled her nerves for the next call she needed to make. 

“Maggie Sawyer, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Kate Kane answered.

“It’s all business, Kate. The Religion of Crime has come to Gotham, and the new High Madame is looking to catch your attention.”

“Oh yeah? And how’s she planning to do that?”

“She kidnapped Supergirl and…someone who works with Supergirl.”

“How does that make it back to me?” Kate asked, already changing into her Batwoman suit. It didn’t particularly matter whether or not she had ties to the newest superhero to grace the West coast; she wasn’t going to let those Dark Faith freaks hurt anyone else. 

“Well,” Maggie hesitated, “they got to me through the other woman, knowing I could get to you.”

“Ah. So you love her?”

“Maybe we should have this catching up talk later. It’s urgent.”

“I’m already on my way, Mags. You should know better by now.”

“Thanks. I’ll text you my address. I’m off to call Jake, my old partner, maybe try to get in touch with NCPD.”

“I’ll be there in an hour or two. Already on a jet.”

Maggie quickly dialed Jake, filling him in on the situation and asking him to email her all the latest intel they had on the Religion of Crime. He put her in touch with a few contacts their department had made with NCPD as soon as they heard the rumors about a new coven starting up. “Maggie,” he called out before she could hang up.

“Yeah?”

“Be safe out there, okay?”

“I’ll do my best. Thanks.”

Once she had texted Kate her address, she pulled up the NCPD contact information Jake had sent her for the three detectives they had been in contact with. She opted for the one woman on the list; she really wasn’t in the mood to have to prove herself before getting even the slightest amount of information. 

“Detective Moore,” the woman answered on the second ring.

“Detective, my name’s Maggie Sawyer. I was a detective with Gotham PD, and I’m calling with a lead and a request for help on the Religion of Crime coven starting operations in National City.”

“Is that right? What are you requesting from us?”

“I need your files on the coven. I already have everything that Gotham’s offices have, but I assume you’ve made headway since they first got in contact with you.”

“Oh, so that’s all?” the detective replied sarcastically.

Maggie quickly shifted gears, name-dropping enough important people and letting Detective Moore put her on hold to check out all of her references before she pushed any further. 

“Okay, so you’re telling the truth, Detective Sawyer. What can you offer me?”

“There was just a kidnapping. The new High Madame has arrived, and she’s taken Supergirl and a professor at National City University, Alexandra Danvers.”

“How was she able to incapacitate Supergirl?”

Maggie debated how much she should reveal. “We believe she went willingly to protect the civilian.”

“And why did they want the civilian?”

“Well, she’s worked with Supergirl. Her research sometimes touches on topics that matter to our resident superhero.”

“I see. I’ll have my officers begin sweeping the different areas where we think the coven might have been setting up operations, and I’ll let you know if we find anything.”

“No,” Maggie cut in, “I want to be involved. I’m not sitting back and waiting to hear.”

“With all due respect, I know that you come with glowing recommendations from the Chief in Gotham and all of your old colleagues, but I think it’s for the best if you let my team work in peace. We will let you know if we’ve found anything.”

“No, I’m coming with you. I’m a damn good officer, and I need to be there to ensure the safety of the hostages.”

“How long has it been since you’ve been out of the field?”

“Seven months. But, ma’am, I spent almost a full decade of my life in the field. It’s not something you just forget.”

“At least tell me why you need to be there.”

Maggie hesitated. “The kidnapped professor is my partner.”

“I see.”

“Is that a problem?” Maggie snapped, her patience wearing thin already.

“As long as you won’t let your ties to her become a liability on a mission, then it’s not a problem in my book.”

“They won’t.”

“Alright, then. I’ll keep you abreast of any information we find on our end. I assume you’ll be working your own leads?”

“Of course.”

“I expect that we’ll be informed of any developments on your end as well.”

“Yes, Detective. And you’ll send me the information you have?”

“I’ll send an encrypted file over to you when we hang up.”

“Thank you.”

While talking on the phone with the detective, Maggie had gotten an idea. She quickly dialed Lena’s number again.

“Hello,” Lena answered breathlessly.

“Lena, do you want to help?

“Of course.”

“Do you have a way of tracking Kara’s phone?”

“It’s easy enough. Why?”

“She said she found their base and went there to find out what was going on, so her phone records should show us that location. I assume it’s not the real base, but it might give us a clue.”

“Good thinking. I’ll pull up a log of her phone’s location today and let you know.”

While Lena went to work, Maggie opened the files from Jake and Detective Moore, reading through all of the information they had collected thus far. Sooner than she had expected, Maggie received a text from Lena with the address where Kara must have found members of the coven. Maggie called Detective Moore again, making good on her promise to keep them in the loop. 

“We have officers in the area. I’ll tell them to check the property, but I suspect it will be empty at this point.”

Maggie didn’t press the issue or insist on going with them this time; she also assumed the area would have been cleared out already. Once she hung up with Detective Moore, she went back to her files, making her way almost to the end of them before her phone rang again.

“Sawyer.”

“The location was clear. But there was a note left behind,” Det. Moore informed Maggie.

“Really? What did it say?”

“I’m sending you a picture. We can’t quite make heads or tails of it.”

“Thanks.”

Maggie’s phone buzzed with the incoming attachment. A piece of black paper with curling red scrawl read: “The true twice-named daughter of Cain was slain once. Find us where she spoke her last.”

“Fuck,” Maggie growled. The note read like something many of Gotham’s most dangerous would have left. It bespoke planning and a deranged playfulness. She knew she needed Kate now more than ever. 

Maggie checked the time. It had been nearly two hours; Kate should really have arrived by now. She tried to distract herself with the files, but the remaining pages were nothing more than speculation and repeated details she already knew at this point. 

Just as she was pulling out her phone to text Kate, she heard a knock at her door. She peered through the peephole, finding Kate standing there, a designer suitcase in hand and a smirk on her face. 

“Hey, Kate,” Maggie said, opening her door.

“What a sad welcome… I thought I might have gotten a bit more exuberance. I did interrupt a rather lovely afternoon in bed to hop on a jet and fly to National City to save your latest girlfriend.”

“Thank you,” Maggie whispered, her voice low but sincere. She opened her arms and wrapped Kate into a tight hug. Even if their relationship had fallen apart, she still missed the woman, who had been the closest thing she had to family in Gotham. 

“Anytime. You know I mean it.”

“I do.”

“Now, tell me what we know.”

“Well, we’ve got all of the files from Gotham and National City PD, not that they’re particularly helpful. Your knowledge alone far surpasses what they’ve gathered. I had a friend track Supergirl’s phone to find out the location of the coven’s first contact with her. They had already deserted the location, but they left behind this creepy, cryptic note. I think it’s for you.” Maggie pulled up the photo on her phone and handed it to Kate.

Kate’s expression quickly morphed from curiosity to shock to anger. 

“You okay?” Maggie asked.

“Fine,” Kate growled. “They’ll be somewhere with airplanes. Perhaps military, depending on how true they’re going to hew to the story.”

“I’ll call Detective Moore to see if they’ve got eyes on military bases or any smaller airports.”

After a long call with the detective, they had narrowed the possibilities down to two: a defunct military base that still had an airplane hangar or the old National City airport that had been abandoned when the new one had opened up in 2004. Kate’s gut told her it would be the military base; she suspected that they were more interested in making her relive some of her worst memories than in the advantages the larger space of an airport might have afforded them. 

“I’ll assemble two strike teams,” Detective Moore informed Maggie.

“I’m coming with the team headed to the old military base.” She didn’t add that Batwoman would be coming as well; it was best if no one knew who Batwoman’s personal connection to National City was.

“Fine. But you’ll need to come here first and be fitted with protective equipment. And you will be under my command today. If I see even a hint of you trying to go rogue, you’ll be dismissed immediately.”

“Understood.” Maggie would let Batwoman be the one to break the rules, so long as she got to bring Alex home safely.


	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence
> 
> (See notes at the end for information on the Batwoman allusions if you want, but do note, they'll contain spoilers for the 52 comic books)

When Alex came to again, she gasped, trying to make sense of where she was. Her vision was blurry and her head was pounding. It was cold and dark. She wondered if they were in the old warehouse district. Why the town even had a warehouse district full of abandoned factories when it just seemed to provide the perfect set up for criminals was beyond her. She tried to get her muscles to work again and attempted to sit up, only to realize that her hands were chained to the chair behind her and her feet were bound together.

“You’re awake,” came the low voice of the High Madame. “I did wonder if I mightn’t have given you a dose too high.”

“You drugged me.”

“Just a little,” the Madame responded with a musical laugh. “Enough to make you easier to transport. I have to say, you surprised us. We expected a fight out of Supergirl, but not her darling human sister.”

“Where is she?” Alex demanded, her voice gravelly.

“She’s in another room. Now that you’re awake, we can let her back in here. Oh, but first we’ll need a little precaution.” The Madame snapped her fingers and two of the men from the balcony reappeared, coming to stand on either side of her. “We’re ready to bring Supergirl back in, so take your positions.” One pulled out a gun, clicking off the safety and holding it tight against her temple, the cool metal sending a shiver down her spine. The other unsheathed a sharp knife, holding it so close to her throat that Alex was worried to swallow, lest the movement of her throat bring her in contact with the blade. 

“Very good,” the Madame praised. She turned and strode across the empty room, pulling a door open as she left. It was too late and dark outside for Alex to see much, but she was fairly certain the door led to the outdoors, rather than another room. After a few minutes, the Madame returned with Kara. “See, there’s your sister, completely unharmed.”

“You drugged her,” Kara spat out. “That’s not unharmed.”

“I didn’t drug her with anything long-lasting. No harm, no foul.”

“Why are you keeping her? If you needed to get someone’s attention, you already have. Let her go, and I’ll stay here.”

“Oh, but then how would we make you behave? With her here, you know better than to try anything. After all, one wrong move from you, and your sister meets an untimely end. Without her? Sure, I have my followers, and maybe they could kill you, but maybe they couldn’t. It’s a risk I’d rather not take.”

“Who are you waiting for?” Supergirl asked. “It’s not like we can warn anyone now.”

“I’m waiting for someone with whom we have some…unfinished business.”

\---

Maggie tried to even her breathing as the patrol car she was in rolled up to the entrance of the military base. She had done this for years, but she couldn’t just forget that it was Alex inside; it was Alex whose life was depending on the success of their mission. The team of officers quickly got into formation on Detective Moore’s signal. Maggie waited with bated breath for the directive to move to come down. The Kevlar vest sat heavy on her chest, a reminder of the protection that Alex didn’t get to have. She pulled the visor on her helmet down and took a round of deep breaths. Finally, Detective Moore signaled for them to move in, and, as a unit, they surged forward, the first row of officers battering down the doors as the rest of them filed in. 

“Police! Put your hands where we can see them,” Detective Moore ordered, her voice echoing through the old hangar. 

A shivery laugh rang though the large room. “Oh, I think Supergirl will see to it that none of us are harmed, so I wouldn’t bother shooting. You wouldn’t want to cause a civilian’s death, now would you?”

Maggie could taste blood in her mouth as she bit down on her cheek to keep from yelling, to keep from crying, to keep from storming the front lines and shooting whoever she needed to in order to get to Alex. To her Alex. To her Alex who was sitting upright, brave enough to face death head on if it came down to it. Alex didn’t even know she was here; she couldn’t even have that small comfort of knowing that Maggie was going to make sure she made it out alive.

They stood at an impasse, weapons drawn on both sides, though half of the Religion of Crime’s weapons were pointed at Alex, rather than the police. A loud roar ripped through the room as Batwoman rode in on her custom Ducati.

“I knew you’d come,” the Madame purred.

“And I know you’ll fall, just like every High Madame before you has.”

“Ah yes, shall I get up on the jet? Want to recreate your final magic moments with Alice? Or should I say, Beth?”

Batwoman bit back a snarl. “Let your hostages go. We all know I’m the one you want.”

“And if I want her too now? She was awfully brave…she could make an excellent sacrifice.”

“If you decide that she’s your sacrifice, then the police have no reason not to kill you all where you stand. I might abide by Batman’s code, but they don’t.”

The Madame seemed to weigh her options. “You leave the bike, let us cuff you, and come with us; in exchange, we’ll give back the girl.”

“How do I know you won’t go back on your word? Once I’m cuffed, you could do anything you want to her,”

“You’ll have to trust me, dear. Just like Beth trusted you to find her.”

Batwoman bit her tongue, trying to harness her rage into focus, into the drive she needed to save the hostages. “You can cuff me, but first I get to bring an officer over with me. The officer stays armed. You play me, the officer kills you.”

After a moment of silence, the Madame nodded. When Detective Moore moved to step forward, Batwoman shook her head. “Not you. Her,” she said, pointing at Maggie.

Maggie steeled her nerves and walked what felt like an eternity across the line of battle. She chanced a glance over at Alex, making eye contact for as long as she felt was safe on her way to the High Madame. Alex let out a shaky breath of relief; even behind the visor, Alex would have recognized those deep brown eyes anywhere. 

Maggie clicked off the safety of her gun and held it up against the Madame’s temple, mirroring the man’s treatment of Alex, her Alex. “Batwoman might think not killing is honorable, but I know that some people can’t be saved,” Maggie growled, her voice low and menacing in the Madame’s ear.

The Madame just laughed, seemingly delighted with the parade of determined civilians she had encountered on her trip to National City. “Come on now, Batwoman,” she ordered, twirling a pair of reinforced handcuffs around her finger. “Get on the ground.”

Batwoman strode haughtily across the room, closing the distance between the Madame and herself. With a grimace, she dropped to her knees, offering her wrists. 

“No, no. Face to the floor.”

Batwoman bit back a barrage of angry retorts and lowered herself, feeling the heavy steel cuffs snap closed around her wrists, then a second pair around her ankles. “Now you uncuff the hostage,” Batwoman ordered, commanding even from the ground. 

The Madame put a foot on Batwoman’s back, pressing slightly too hard, and nodded at her lackeys, who quickly moved to unchain Alex. She stood as soon as she was free and, with a nod from the Madame, walked shakily across the room. One of the officers moved her back to the doorway and outside where a medic was waiting to treat any injuries she might have sustained. 

“Now you back away, little girl,” the Madame ordered, gesturing at Maggie who still had a gun pressed against her temple.

Maggie took a few steps backward, keeping her back to her fellow officers. She covertly darted her gaze toward Kara, who noticed and gave a barely perceptible nod once Maggie was a somewhat safe distance away. 

With that motion, Maggie quickly turned her gun on the two men who had moved to haul Batwoman into the waiting jet. She let out two shots, aiming to wound but not kill. Supergirl had flung herself forward, quickly taking out the humanoid praying mantis before diving to grab Batwoman and pull her to safety. 

Gunfire soon erupted on both sides, the police following Maggie’s lead as hordes of animalistic creatures swarmed forward. As the battle raged on, Supergirl broke Batwoman’s cuffs, leaving her free to join the fight as Supergirl dove back into the fray, throwing herself at the werewolf who seemed impervious to bullets. 

After taking down one of the creatures, Maggie looked around the room, desperate to make sure that everyone she cared about was still alive. She saw an injured Batwoman staggering to the side, the High Madame close behind her. 

The Madame held a dagger against Batwoman’s chest. “Do you want to make a bet?” she purred. “My money’s on the fact that no one gets lucky twice. Survive a dagger through the heart once, shame on me. Survive a dagger through the heart twice…oh wait, it doesn’t happen.” A wicked grin spread across her face as she traced the knife in small patterns above Batwoman’s heart. “All this work you do to save one human hostage, but no one’s coming to save you,” she taunted.

“Guess again,” Maggie growled, throwing a hard punch into the Madame’s side, making her double over in pain. The second the knife was away from Batwoman, Maggie raised her gun, aiming it at the Madame’s chest.

“Maggie,” Batwoman rasped out, “We don’t kill.”

Maggie hesitated, her resolve wavering. When the Madame lunged forward again, knife aimed for Batwoman’s face, Maggie dropped her aim lower, shooting the Madame’s knee. She dropped to the ground in pain, and Maggie quickly kicked her knife away. She pushed the Madame face-first on the ground, cuffing her with her own reinforced handcuffs, then patting down the rest of her body, tossing aside any weapons she still held. 

When the remaining Religion of Crime followers saw their leader being led out in cuffs, they quickly fled, leaving Supergirl to chase after the most dangerous of them, determined to round them up to keep the city safe. 

Maggie passed a handcuffed Madame off to Detective Moore, both of them nodding their acknowledgement of the other’s hard work and dedication in bringing down the coven. But Maggie didn’t have time for anything beyond a nod. She was off in an instant, throwing her helmet to the ground as she sought out the one person she had come here to find.

“Alex,” she breathed out, running across the tarmac to meet her girlfriend, who was leaning against one of the police cars. She swept the taller woman into a tight embrace, finally letting the tears fall that she had bitten back all afternoon. They stood like that for a while, neither one of them wanting to break the contact or disturb the moment. 

Maggie finally pulled back when she heard the loud roar of an engine. Batwoman idled behind them on her motorcycle, a small smile playing about her lips.

“You okay, Batwoman?” Maggie asked.

“Couldn’t be better. Always a pleasure working with you, Mags.” And with a nod and a wink, she was off.

When Maggie turned around, Alex was looking at her with narrowed eyes. “What did she just call you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Kate Kane's twin sister, Beth, was the last High Madame of the Religion of Crime, though she went by the name of Alice, and for most of the time Kate didn't know it was Beth (because Kate believed her sister was murdered along with her mother when she was a child, when Beth had in fact been kidnapped instead). Their final fight was on an old military plane, and Kate, though she wouldn't kill, couldn't stop Beth in time from falling/jumping to her death (we assume; a body was never recovered). This is why the new Madame's decision to draw them to the old military base and involve a plane, in addition to referencing Beth and how Kate disappointed her, would have been emotionally trying to say the least.
> 
>  
> 
> 2\. Kate was stabbed through the heart (and saved by an ex-gf of hers) by the Religion of Crime, who believed her to be the twice-named daughter of Kane (as Kate and Batwoman). Her survival convinced a group of Religion of Crime followers (now heretics) that she must not be the one who needed to be killed or the prophecies would have guaranteed her death. Instead, they reasoned, it must be her twin sister no one realized was still alive. Once they found out the new Religion of Crime leader was that twin, they actually conspired to get Batwoman to kill her own twin to fulfill the prophecy.
> 
> 3\. When Kate proposes to Maggie in the comic books, she does so while dressed as Batwoman. Maggie still didn't know Kate was Batwoman, but she finds out a panel before Kate asks when Kate (in the Batwoman suit) calls her "Mags." Maggie responds, "What did you call me?"


	59. Chapter 59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've got some angst coming in droves, so...prepare yourselves.
> 
> T/W for some anxiety/feelings of inferiority and discussions of alcohol dependency

When Maggie and Alex walked through the doors of Maggie’s apartment, Alex let out a startled yelp at the sight of Batwoman sitting on Maggie’s couch.

“Oh, didn’t realize you’d have company…” Batwoman trailed off.

“Really? Didn’t think I’d bring the woman I just rescued back home with me?”

“Perhaps she needs some sleep. Or maybe she prefers her own bed. How was I to be sure? I needed to collect your files on the Religion of Crime coven here. I’m sticking around for a few more days to make sure that the newest High Madame stays safely behind bars.”

“You two know each other?” Alex asked, her voice slightly higher pitched than she would have liked it to be. Maggie still hadn’t answered Alex’s question about why Batwoman had called Maggie by her pet name. 

“We worked together back when I was a detective in Gotham,” Maggie replied a little too quickly.

“Yeah…just like we’re colleagues?” Alex asked, barely masking the derision in her voice. 

“She’s smart, Mags,” Batwoman rather unhelpfully chimed in, earning a glare from Maggie. “I’m just gonna…let myself out. I can find a hotel to stay in tonight.”

“No, it’s fine. You came all the way out here to help me, to save Alex. The least I can do is give you my bed.”

“You gonna be in that bed too, Sawyer?” Alex asked, trying and failing to keep the hurt out of her voice. It was one thing to have an ex; it was another to lie about that ex to your current girlfriend. 

“No, Alex, I’ll be on the couch.”

“So I’ll just be at my place? Leave you alone with your ex-girlfriend?”

“Aw, you’ve been downplaying what we had?” Batwoman teased.

“Oh my god,” Alex exhaled. “You’re Kate Kane.”

“Uh, what? No…” Suddenly Batwoman’s cocky teasing was gone.

“You are. I’m not dumb,” Alex waved her hand in dismissal of Batwoman’s protests. She turned her glare on Maggie. “And you. After our first fight about you not telling me that you had been engaged? You promised you would tell the truth, but even then you were lying!”

“You know as well as I do about what it means to know a superhero’s secret identity. It’s not something you just divulge to anyone.”

“I’m not supposed to be just anyone, Maggie,” Alex snapped, grabbing her coat and storming toward the door.

“I fear I made that worse,” Kate noted.

“Understatement of the goddam century. Alex, wait!” Maggie ran across the room, grabbing Alex before she could leave. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. There just, there was never a good time to bring it up. Hell, I didn’t even know for a large portion of our relationship. But I don’t want there to be secrets between us. Honestly. Just tell me what you want to know, and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have. I bet Kate would too,” Maggie added, glaring at Kate, who nodded, her lips pursed. 

With a deep breath, Alex put her coat back down and dropped into one of the chairs around the table. “Can you at least take off the mask?”

Kate grumbled, but pulled it off. Alex gasped, realizing that the long mane of curls was a wig. Suddenly she was looking at a pale woman with wavy red hair that came down to about her chin…a bit like Alex’s, if a brighter red. “What do you want to know?” Kate asked, resigning herself to a long night of questions. “Actually, first I think drinks are in order. Do you have any whiskey, Mags?”

Maggie grimaced as she shook her head. “I might have a beer or two.”

“Damn, what happened to you?”

“I did,” Alex said, her eyes downcast. 

“You didn’t do anything to me, Al. I chose to not drink with you.” Alex just shrugged her shoulders in response, as Maggie pulled out a bag of chips and an array of beverages, including a sparkling water for Alex and a ginger ale for herself. 

“So…what do you want to ask me?” Kate asked again.

“Are you an alien or a metahuman?”

“Nope, just a well-trained human. I was at West Point, top of my class, so I had training. Then I went through a few more years of training in various martial arts and things of that nature.”

“What did you study?” Alex asked, suddenly curious. “I learned Krav Maga while helping…Supergirl when she first came out as a superhero.”

“If I may ask questions in return later, I would like to know exactly what the relationship between you two is. But yes, I also studied Krav Maga, among other styles.”

“Right…of course you had more training. How did you end up becoming Batwoman?”

“Short story? I got kicked out of West Point because I wouldn’t deny violating Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

“That is?”

“Homosexual conduct.”

“Right. And of course you knew and were brave enough to stand up for yourself.”

“I would have been lying otherwise. After that, I was a bit…purposeless. I tried going back to school, but I spent more time in bars and clubs, drinking to forget and taking home any woman I could find. One night, some guy tried mugging me, and I fought back. Even drunk, I still had all my years of training. When I turned back, I ran into Batman. He flashed the sign, and it was like…a second calling. I turned over a new leaf, got some real training thanks to my dad, and, voila, Batwoman.”

Alex grimaced at the story that sounded so much like her own…only Kate had stood up for herself, been proud and honorable enough to be honest with herself and those around her, while Alex got shitfaced every night running from the truth. She took a deep breath. “How did you two meet?”

“At a gala. Maggie made some charming comment about us wearing matching outfits.”

“And how it doesn’t matter when you match if you’re in a tux,” Maggie added with a soft smile. 

“And we danced together all night. Has she taken you dancing?”

“No,” Alex replied curtly.

“Ah, well you really should sometime.”

“Duly noted. So how did you both end up at the same gala?”

“It was the GCPD Charity Ball, so I was there for work,” Maggie replied.

“And my step-mother’s worth a fortune so as the heiress I guess I was…keeping up appearances.”

“So you’re a wealthy socialite by day and a crime-fighting vigilante by night?”

“Uh, I suppose…I mean, I do research during the day too. I like to keep up with the science behind my own weapons and protections.”

“Of course you do. I, uh, I’m gonna head out.”

“No, Al, stay,” Maggie pleaded.

“No, really, I think I need to be alone. You two have fun,” Alex said, her voice cracking as she spoke. She grabbed her jacket and walked quickly out the door, nearly running down the stairs in her hurry to get away from the room, away from the building, away from her girlfriend’s ex who she never stopped loving and who was too much like Alex, too much like Alex but better. She didn’t stop when she got outside, taking long strides down the sidewalk, ignoring the chill of the windy night, ignoring the fact that it was already well past midnight, ignoring how very far away she still was from her apartment.

As she walked, she was accosted with scenes from the night. She shoved down the horror of being kidnapped, of being held hostage, a gun to her head and a knife to her throat. Her hands trembled slightly at the memories, but she couldn’t deal with them. Not now. Not like this. She flashed back to the way that Batwoman—Kate, she corrected—had singled Maggie out as the officer she trusted with her life. The way the other officers talked about Maggie taking out the Madame as soon as she saw that Kate was in trouble, no regard for her own safety. She replayed the litany of similarities between herself and Kate—Kate always emerging as the better of the two, the braver one, the smarter one, the tougher one. And then there was the way that Maggie had looked at her—adoration—the way they still finished each other’s sentences. And they had been engaged. Maggie had only ended it because they didn’t agree about children, not because they stopped loving each other. And now, that drop-dead gorgeous woman, that crime-fighting heiress who did science in her free time—that woman was now sprawled out in Maggie’s bed like a goddam invitation. 

And who was she? She was just the girl that god kidnapped. The one who wasn’t brave or strong enough to fight her own way out of it. Kara would have been fine if it weren’t for her; Kara could have fought them all off singlehandedly if Alex’s damn human vulnerability weren’t such an issue. And then they couldn’t even have a drink after the fucking day from hell because Alex couldn’t be trusted to have liquor around the house. Despite the fact that she hadn’t even thought about drinking these past few months. Not once had she been tempted. Not really. But there was Maggie, insisting that she should stop too, making it sound like Alex couldn’t do it herself.

Alex could feel the tears welling up and dug her nails deep into her palms to keep her emotions in check. She looked up, trying to figure out where she was. The only storefront lights still on were for a 7/11, a liquor store, and some bar. She figured a drink couldn’t hurt. The fact that she wasn’t craving it for so long had to mean she wasn’t an alcoholic. She could admit to herself that she had…what was it Maggie called it? Problematic coping mechanisms. Whatever, she was fucking kidnapped and nearly murdered before being saved by her girlfriend’s perfect ex-fiancée, who was now alone with her girlfriend…in her apartment. Yeah, whiskey would be good.

Alex bit back the wave of shame that hit her as she walked through the door of the liquor store. She was an adult; she could do whatever the hell she wanted. Quickly perusing the aisles, she grabbed a bottle of decent whiskey that was one of the “weekly deals” and made her way up to the counter. 

“That all?”

“Yeah.”

“$22.99”

Alex swiped her card, signed, and was off, grateful that the cashier hadn’t been one for conversation. She decided to splurge for a cab at this point too and quickly found herself deposited at the front of her apartment building. 

When she finally made it into her apartment, Alex tried to ignore the signs of Maggie’s persistent presence in her life: the extra boots by the door, the growing collection of leather jackets, the large quantities of fresh food, including vegetables, stocked in her kitchen. With shaking hands, she poured her first glass. Before she had even finished it, she was leaning up against the wall, sliding down it, crumbling to the floor as sobs wracked her body. Goddam, apparently she couldn’t even drink now. Alex wondered if there was anything left that she was good at, any area where she might best Kate Kane. And the woman saved her life. So she couldn’t even fucking hate her.


	60. Chapter 60

Kate had dragged Maggie back into the apartment when she went running after Alex. “Give her space. Even if you still go over there tonight, give her an hour at least.”

“Kate, you don’t know Alex.”

“No, but I still know what it’s like to be hurt, Mags. Just let her have a little time to herself. She doesn’t want to break down in front of you just now.”

“Fine,” Maggie huffed out, pacing in front of her door while Kate shook her head.

She finally relented and ordered pizza for them, sitting down with Kate to go over all the information they had on the Religion of Crime. By the time they finished eating, Maggie was ready to leave again. “It’s been over an hour.”

“Barely.”

“Still. I’m going to see her. Maybe she doesn’t want to see me, but I need to try.”

“I know. It’s what makes you a good partner.”

“Thanks. You okay here?”

“Yeah. Do you mind if I use your computer while you’re out?”

“You already let yourself into my apartment without asking. I think you can use my laptop.”

“Thanks, dear,” Kate teased as Maggie headed out of the apartment. 

\---

Alex still hadn’t gotten off the floor. There was something comforting about it. She didn’t have to move; she didn’t have to do anything. She had managed to finish her drink, but she couldn’t bring herself to stand up and get more. That was an easy way of controlling her drinking, she realized. Who would’ve thought? After the worst day of her life, Alex Danvers could indeed limit herself to one drink. Sure, maybe it was a generous pour, but it’s the thought that counts. She had cried for too long, sobbing until her throat felt like it would crack. And then she just sat there. Alone. In the dark of her apartment, watching the shadows dance across the tile of the kitchen floor as clouds drifted in front of the moon and away again. 

A loud, insistent knocking at the door startled out of her reverie. She debated the merits of answering it, deciding that the floor was much more comfortable than any conversation could be. But the knocking didn’t stop. When her head began to pound in time with the rapping on her door, she stood up. Her whole body protested the effort.

Pulling open the door, Alex saw Maggie standing alone. “Yeah?”

“Alex!” Maggie rushed inside the apartment. “You didn’t answer any of my texts. I wanted to make sure it was okay for me to come over, but I needed to see you. I came too close to losing you today to just assume you made it home and fell asleep.”

“I did get home. Didn’t sleep.”

“What’s wrong?” Maggie had been so overjoyed at seeing Alex that she was just now noticing the dried tear tracks staining Alex’s cheeks, the smell of whiskey on her breath, the rumbled clothes that she still hadn’t changed out of from earlier. She glanced around the apartment, noticing the open bottle of whiskey on the counter, the empty glass sitting on the floor. “Al…”

“Fuck off. I don’t need a fucking lecture right now.”

“I’m not here to lecture you. I just, you’re hurting. I want to be here for you, but I don’t know what happened. I mean, obviously I know about earlier today; I was there. But you seemed to be doing okay with all of that…until you weren’t.”

“Do you seriously not get it?” Alex snapped.

“It would be better if you told me.”

Alex started pacing as she spoke. “I have spent my entire fucking life being compared to a superhero and found wanting. Kara was always better. She was the better student, the better daughter, the better person. You already know this. You’ve heard me talk about this. I shouldn’t have to be telling you again. But somehow, you don’t get that you just fucking shoved me unaware into the exact goddam situation all over again. Because not only is your ex just like me—and don’t even tell me she’s not because we even ride the same goddam model of motorcycle—but she’s also better at all of those things than I am. And she’s a fucking superhero. Only this time, I can’t say that it’s because she’s an alien. She isn’t genetically superior; it’s literally just her. So what does that make me? You left her because she maybe wanted kids one day, and then you found me—some…poor replacement. The only thing I have going for me is my desire to stay a miserable old maid.”

“Alex, so what if you have a few things in common with Kate? You’re different people. Kate and I didn’t go through with the wedding because of the family issue, but we had other problems too. No couple is perfect. And Kate isn’t perfect either. Just because she was in her element today doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her own demons and failings. I mean, sure, she looks like the picture of mental health next to Batman, but the girl’s got her issues too. But more importantly, Alex, I choose you. Every single day I make the choice to be here with you. Not because you’re some replacement that I can have, but because you’re Alex fucking Danvers. Badass biology professor who rides a sexy motorcycle and does everything in her power to take care of her nearly invincible baby sister and treats me so much better than anyone I’ve ever been with. Ever. Yeah, I’m still friends with Kate because we ended on decent terms, and we’re always going to have memories of fighting through the fucking horror that is Gotham together. But they’re just that: memories. You’re the one I’m choosing to make new ones with. Because I love you, Alex. And I don’t want to imagine my life without you in it.”

Alex was silent for a few minutes before finally breaking down again, letting out all of the pent up emotion that had been building as Maggie spoke, argued, tried to convince her that she was worth something.

“Come on, lean on me, I’ve got you,” Maggie murmured, pulling Alex in close, holding her against her chest as her whole body shook with emotion. “You went through so much today. Let it out. Let it all out.” 

When it seemed like Alex was done crying, just shaking without shedding any more tears, Maggie whispered, “Do you know what really helped me on days like this?”

“No, what?” Alex hiccupped.

“A long hot bath or shower. To wipe away the memories of the day.”

“You had days like today?” Alex asked, her voice soft and vulnerable.

“All the time.” Suspecting how Alex felt about being taken hostage, Maggie continued, “You know, I’ve been kidnapped and held hostage a few times myself.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It didn’t matter that I was well-armed or well-trained. All it takes is the right moment, the element of surprise, and suddenly you’re hanging in a goddam warehouse, your hands tied above your hand with thick rope, your feet barely touching the ground, as some woman shoots flames around you. And every time is just as fucking terrifying as the last. Because being that vulnerable and scared and helpless? It never gets easier. It just reminds you that you’re only alive because someone got to you in time. I know for me, admitting that I needed other people was hard. But it’s part of being on the force, part of being a good partner or strike leader. And so you get used to it, that interconnectedness, that knowledge that who you are alone is never quite enough. It’s never easy, Al, but my being there for you wasn’t an imposition. Pulling on that armor and going back out in the field to try to save you—that was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.”

Alex shook, collapsing once more into Maggie’s chest. She had long since run out of tears, but it didn’t stop her body from shaking as Maggie wrapped strong arms around her. When the trembling had subsided, Maggie carefully guided Alex into the bathroom, turning on the hot water and helping Alex to get out of her clothes, which clung to her, damp with sweat and tears. Maggie carefully pulled off her own clothes as well. She could see the way that Alex shook seated and really didn’t want to push her into the water alone and hope for the best. 

She guided Alex under the water, holding her tightly as the other woman shut her eyes, taking a moment to just enjoy the feeling of hot water running down her face, washing away the dirt and grime and stress of the day. Maggie gently rubbed soap into her hands, running them up and over Alex’s body as the other woman relaxed into her touch. 

When Maggie finished washing and rinsing both of them, Alex sunk to the ground, sitting down and letting the spray of water pour over her. Maggie lowered herself down as well, plugging the drain to let the tub fill with warm water now that they were both clean. Once it filled, Maggie turned off the water and sat in silence, holding Alex’s hands, rubbing gentle circles across her palms as the woman’s breathing finally began to even out. 

When the water began to cool, Maggie opened the drain, getting up and pulling down a fresh towel to wrap around Alex. They continued their silent routine, Maggie never losing contact with Alex, always there with a hand on hers, around her waist, tucking her hair behind her ears. When she got Alex into bed and the redhead reached out to draw her down with her, Maggie smiled, grateful to be allowed back in, to be allowed to see Alex at her most vulnerable and help her through it. She quickly texted Kate, letting her know that she wouldn’t be back until the later in the morning, then crawled under the blankets, pulling Alex into her chest. She ran her fingers through Alex’s hair and gently stroked her back until the other woman finally fell asleep.


	61. Chapter 61

The next day, Alex felt a bit more like herself. She and Maggie enjoyed a quiet breakfast, knowing that they would eventually have to talk more about the night before, but that this wasn’t the time for those conversations. Alex willingly handed over the nearly full bottle of whiskey, telling Maggie to gift it to Kate for her help. She accepted Maggie’s compliments for keeping herself to one drink, for not giving in to the temptation to erase the whole night from her memory, drinking until everything faded to a blurry mess. 

When Kara came over to check in on Alex, having finally found and put away the last of the Religion of Crime followers that had been with them in the hangar, Maggie excused herself, leaving the two women to talk.

“I know Kate’s in town for business, but maybe we could do something tonight? Go out to that bar we went to the first night, perhaps? I’d like to make a better impression,” Alex offered before Maggie could leave.

“No one blames you for being in shock yesterday,” Maggie comforted Alex. “But yeah, I’m sure she’d like to get to know you better. Do you want to meet for dinner at my place before?”

Alex nodded and gave Maggie a quick kiss goodbye before settling back into the couch to talk with Kara, who repeated much of what Maggie said about guilt and fear and shock. Alex didn’t want to dwell too much on what had happened, but Kara insisted that it was good to process all of the emotions and held Alex’s hand as she waited for her big sister to open up about any lingering doubts or fears, which she finally did, finding it much easier after her conversation with Maggie the night before.

On Kara’s way out, Alex called out and told her to invite Lena to the bar tonight as well. She was even feeling generous enough to remind Kara that Winn and Mon-El could probably use some plans for the night, as well as James and Lucy if they were up for it.

\---

By the time she was walking into the bar that night, Alex felt much better about the whole situation. She, Maggie, and Kate had enjoyed a long dinner together, and Alex thought she had made a much better impression this round. She was shocked that Kate hadn’t judged her at all for her behavior the night before, though Kate explained that she had plenty of nights that still haunted her, that she couldn’t believe how strong Alex was for being up and around not even 48 hours later. It helped that she and Maggie had gotten to talk to Kate about their relationship, Maggie gushing openly about what an amazing person Alex was, while Kate smiled and laughed, sharing tales of her own exploits during the time since Maggie left. 

When they got to the bar, just Kara and Lena were there. Kara explained that Winn, Mon-El, James, and Lucy would be there in half an hour, though she didn’t mention that she gave them a later time to make sure that Maggie was being honest with her sister about her relationship with Kate. Alex went around, giving introductions. When she got to Kara and introduced her as her sister, Kate smiled broadly. “Oh, I see it now. Supergirl is your sister.”

Kara and Alex spluttered and shook their heads, while Lena and Maggie bit back laughter. Both of them had soon realized what a miracle it was that Kara’s secret identity was still a secret to anyone at all.

After just a moment, though, Kara furrowed her eyebrows. Kate certainly hadn’t been around long enough or in any situations where she could see Supergirl up close and personal. “So you just got into town yesterday, Kate?”

“Mhm,” she nodded.

“I see. Well, I suppose I should thank you for your help, Batwoman.”

Kate smirked, and Lena’s jaw dropped. “I shouldn’t have underestimated you. At least my disguise comes with different hair.”

“I switch between a ponytail and letting my hair down,” Kara pouted, making everyone laugh. Glasses and a ponytail were a rather poor excuse for a disguise. “At least I know my secret is safe with you…mutually assured destruction and all of that.”

“Of course. I assume when the others get here, we’ll go back to being Kara and Kate?”

“That’s the plan,” Kara smiled. 

Over the course of the evening, Alex relaxed more and more. It helped that the bar was fairly empty—Sunday nights didn’t exactly draw a crowd—and that she was surrounded by all of her friends. Despite the terror of the day before, she found herself feeling safe once more, her side pressed firmly into Maggie’s warm body. 

Now, having seen Maggie wingwoman for Kate, helping to talk up the redhead to a sexy butch over at the bar, Alex relaxed even further. When Kate came back to the table, winking at Maggie as she brandished the woman’s number on a bar napkin, Alex made a point of turning to her and engaging her in conversation. The two redheads soon found themselves in a deep conversation about alien technology and the science behind Batwoman’s gadgets. Alex even had a notebook out, which they passed back and forth, sketching out designs for different weapons and shields that might help keep Kara and anyone working with her safer. 

Maggie smiled at the sight, watching as Alex shone in her element, explaining the latest advances in science and technology to Kate, who was an eager student. She suspected that being able to teach Batwoman something would do wonders for any lingering doubts Alex might have about herself in comparison to Maggie’s ex. 

When a very excited Alex dragged Kate outside, enticed with the promise of seeing all the enhancements that had been made to her Ducati, Lena turned to Maggie, her eyebrow raised.

“What?” Maggie asked defensively.

“Oh come on,” Lena drawled. “Don’t fuck with me, Sawyer.”

“What is it?” Kara asked, tuning back into the conversation and drawing the attention of the boys and Lucy as well. 

“Are you telling me that none of you see how similar Alex and Kate are? I mean, Christ, Maggie, has anyone ever told you that you have the world’s most specific type?”

Maggie made a pfft noise that she had picked up from Alex, though the sound died on her lips as she looked around the table and saw everyone else nodding in agreement, only Mon-El looking slightly surprised, though it quickly gave way to a knowing grin as he picked up on the litany of similarities. 

The group quickly went around the table, listing out the parallels they noticed, which turned into a very long list. Maggie startled at how very much some of these people seemed to have picked up on in such a short time.

“You say nothing,” Maggie growled. 

“Say nothing about what, babe?” Alex asked, placing a kiss to the top of Maggie’s head as she circled around the back of the booth.

Maggie looked at her girlfriend, who had a streak of grease on her neck, as she stood beaming next to Kate, who looked equally excited. “Oh, just tell you that you’ve got some grease on your neck.”

“Oh, shit! I’ll go get it. Then Kate was gonna take me for a ride on her motorcycle! Did you know that it’ll keep going even when she jumps off of it?”

“I did,” Maggie said, trying to keep the slight tinge of nervousness she felt out of her voice. “And you’ll be safe with the love of my life?” Maggie asked, turning her gaze to Kate.

“Wouldn’t dream of putting her in harm’s way, Mags,” Kate teased.


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Thank you all for the comments and kudos while I've been gone! Even though I haven't had any time to write, they still meant so much!
> 
> 2\. And we're back now that most of my big deadlines have finally passed! I've got ideas for a few more chapters, but I'm not quite sure if I should keep going with this particular fic for much longer, since it's already so long. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more of this particular story/if there are any scenes you'd like to see here!
> 
> 3\. After the angst at the beginning of this chapter, I promise it goes back to more fluff/smut. No smut today, but we end with lots of fluff.

That night, Maggie came back to Alex’s apartment, not wanting to leave her girlfriend’s side just yet. Kate had indeed returned her unharmed—exhilarated beyond words at having gotten to actually drive Batwoman’s motorcycle, but otherwise stable—and Kate and Kara had agreed to team up on patrol that night, as they were both still worried about any more Religion of Crime acolytes. 

“How are you feeling?” Maggie asked, as Alex hung up her keys by the door and threw her coat onto the back of a chair.

“Fine. Why?”

“Well,” Maggie hesitated, not wanting to tell Alex how she should be coping with the aftermath of being kidnapped and held at both knife- and gunpoint, but also not wanting Alex to think she didn’t care. “It’s been a really long weekend for you. And I know we talked. And you and Kara talked. But that doesn’t have to mean you never talk about it again, Alex. I’m not saying we have to talk now! But, just, please let me know if you do want to. I’m here for you. Always.”

Alex shrugged and bumped her shoulder into Maggie’s. “Yeah, thanks.” She knew Maggie meant every word she had said, but she also didn’t want Maggie to feel like she was fragile or something. Maggie had been a cop and a detective—in Gotham, no less. She didn’t need to date someone who fell apart at the drop of the hat. Even if that hat came in the form of otherworldly creatures and crazed cult leaders who kidnapped you and almost killed you for fun. 

“Do you have stuff you need to do for class tomorrow, or are you ready for bed?” Maggie asked.

“Nothing I can’t do in the morning. Mondays are just my big lecture class. Saying the same damn shit I say every year and getting the exact same questions.”

“Alright, well then let’s get you into pajamas.”

“If you’re just trying to get me out of my clothes, Detective…” Alex teased, trying to get Maggie to stop babying her. 

“Please, if I wanted you out of your clothes, you’d already be naked and halfway to your third orgasm by now.” 

Alex grinned at the flash of the Maggie she knew and loved. “Cocky much? C’mon, let’s get in bed before I fall asleep out here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Maggie followed Alex into her bedroom and put away her clothes in what had become her (unofficial) drawer in Alex’s dresser. Even if they spent more nights with each other than they did apart, Maggie knew the perils of U-Hauling too early and had no desire to repeat some of those awful experiences again. 

Once they had both changed and brushed their teeth, Maggie curled under the covers and patted the space next to her. “Come cuddle, Danvers.”

“You know, one day I’m going to be the big spoon.”

“Sure you will.”

Alex was still grumbling when she crawled into bed, letting herself be pulled flush up against Maggie’s front as a warm arm wrapped around her waist and soft lips trailed across the back of her neck. 

“Night, Al,” Maggie whispered.

“Night, Mags. Love you.”

“You too.”

\---

Alex suddenly found herself in the grip of the Madame once more. Her men looked even more menacing, standing at an inhuman height—at least 8 feet tall, Alex guessed—and pointing military-grade weapons at her.

“There’s no Supergirl to save you this time,” the Madame whispered menacingly, her breath hot against the shell of Alex’s ear.

“No! She’ll come for me! She always does,” Alex whimpered, her hands straining against the cool metal handcuffs.

“Hmm, I don’t think a dead superhero will do you any good, Alexandra.”

“She can’t be dead. No, she can’t be. She can’t be,” Alex repeated, her heart racing and her head spinning.

“Oh, you see, I knew just what would draw your little superhero friends and their very human cop sidekick back to me. You, Alexandra, are the perfect bait. Useless in your own right, but surrounded by people who matter. I don’t take very well to losing, but I find that a spot of revenge takes the edge off perfectly.”

“What, what did you do to them?” Alex managed to get out. She couldn’t get enough air, and she could see her field of vision narrowing as darkness threatened to overwhelm her.

Pulling her gun out and pointing it directly at Alex’s chest, the Madame purred, “You’ll see them soon enough. Go ahead and ask them yourself.”

\---

Alex woke up with a shout, her whole body drenched in sweat and trembling. She gulped down air as she tried to reorient herself and convince herself that everything was really just a dream. As she began to calm down, she noticed the feeling of a warm hand holding her own and a sleep-roughened voice murmuring soothingly close to her face. 

“Are you—are you alive?” Alex asked. She knew it was a dumb question, knew that Maggie was clearly right there, but still, she needed proof, needed to be sure. 

“Yes, Alex, I’m right here. We’re in bed together in your apartment. Everything is okay. I’ve got you, okay? I’ve got you.”

“But Kara? Is she okay?”

“I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I need to call her.” Alex tried to scramble out of bed, only to feel strong arms pulling her back down. 

“You stay here. You’re still shaking. I’ll go get your phone, okay?”

“Okay. Can you turn on the light?” 

“Of course, Alex. I’m going to put on some water for tea too, okay?”

“Okay.”

Maggie was back in just a minute with Alex’s phone. With shaky hands she managed to get to her speed dial and call Kara.

“Alex? Are you okay?” Kara asked, answering on the second ring.

“I’m okay. Are you okay?” Alex replied, trying to fight back tears.

“Yep! I’m out with Batwoman on patrol, but everything has been rather quiet. Are you sure you’re alright? You don’t sound great.”

“Yeah, no, sorry. It was just a bad dream. Sorry to bother you.”

“Alex, you’re not bothering me. Do you want me to come over?”

“What? No. It’s fine. I’m being stupid. You go do your superhero thing!”

“Okay…” Kara let Alex hang up, but remained unconvinced. She sent a quick text to Maggie: “How is Alex? Honest answer.”

Hearing her own phone buzz, Maggie fumbled in her bag until she found it. “Not great. Making her tea now,” Maggie replied.

“Would a visit from me help? Kate says she doesn’t mind taking over patrol,” Kara texted.

“Probably. I know she’s trying to be strong enough for everyone, but I think it’d be good for her. Let me try to calm her down a little first?”

“I’m gonna go get her some of her favorite desserts. See you in half an hour?”

Maggie sent back the thumbs up emoji before hurrying back to get the boiling water off of the stove before the whistling kettle woke all of Alex’s neighbors. She quickly prepared two mugs of chamomile tea with a bit of honey and carried them to Alex, who had moved to the couch in the living room.

“Here you go. Careful, it’s still hot.”

“Thanks,” Alex mumbled, still embarrassed about waking up in such a panic.

Sensing what was going on in Alex’s head, Maggie put her mug down on the end table and threw her arm around Alex’s shoulders, burrowing under the blanket Alex had brought out so that they were pressed close together. “You know, you didn’t wake me when you yelled.”

“Hmm?” Alex asked.

“You woke yourself up when you yelled. But I was already awake.”

“Oh, god, why? Was I thrashing around or something else? I’m sorry.”

“No! Alex, no, not at all. First of all, even if you had woken me up, there’s nothing to be sorry about, unless you were waking me just to be an ass on April Fools or something, which this was not. But no, what I mean is that I wasn’t sleeping at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept flashing back to scenes of you tied up, of moments when I didn’t know where you were or…god, if I was ever going to get to hold you again, to tell you just how much I love you.”

“Really?” Alex sniffled, surreptitiously wiping tears away with the corner of the blanket. 

“Yeah, really. Like I told you, just because I was exposed to more of this stuff in Gotham than any person should have to see doesn’t mean that it ever gets easy. You just learn to cope.”

“And you don’t mind coping with me? Even though we have to be up for work in…four hours?”

“There’s no one I’d rather spend time with, dear.”

The two sat on the couch in silence for a while, holding each other tightly. Somehow the quiet and the closeness were more comforting than just about anything. Alex dug her fingers tighter into Maggie’s arms whenever an image from her dream (or memory) flashed through her mind, holding the other woman close enough to remember that they survived, that they were together and safe and whole. 

After a little while, Maggie’s phone buzzed. “I’m here! Don’t want to startle anyone if I fly in.”

“Coming to get ya, Little Danvers,” Maggie called out, knowing Kara would hear her.

“Kara’s here?” Alex asked, turning to follow Maggie with her eyes and catching sight of Kara floating outside her window with a big smile plastered on her face and what looked like many, many bags of food in her arms.

“I come bearing gifts!” Kara yelled as she tumbled through the window. “Let me put on some pajamas, and I’m joining you two!”

In a flash, Kara was back in the living room now in flannel pajamas, pulling out box after box. “Okay, so! We’ve got all of your favorite desserts from all of your favorite East Coast bakeries, since they’re already open for the day. And then we’ve got Chinese takeout. And some garlic knots, but those are more for me. Unless you want them!”

“No, no, those are all yours at…4am.”

“Mmm, thank you!” Kara squealed, popping three into her mouth at once. 

Maggie started unloading some of the desserts, which she was pretty sure would last for at least a week if Kara wasn’t planning to eat any of them. She got a couple of biscotti out and put them on a plate, along with some still warm and very gooey chocolate chip cookies. 

Alex smiled when Maggie handed her one of the cookies on a napkin, settling even deeper into the couch.

“Okay, do you want to talk?” Kara asked, sounding very much like she had a game plan ready for just about any answer Alex might give. 

“Not really. I just…I’m okay now that I see that you’re okay. That you’re safe and whole,” Alex explained, patting Kara’s arm and pulling her little sister closer into her so that she was sandwiched between Maggie and Kara on the couch, all three of them piled under the blankets they had grabbed from Alex’s bed. 

“Okay, well, we can sit in silence. Or! We can do what I do whenever I’m feeling down.”

“And that would be?” Maggie asked.

“Musicals,” Alex and Kara responded, though Kara’s tone was quite a bit peppier than Alex’s.

Maggie stifled a laugh as she noticed the bag full of DVDs that Kara had brought as well. “So, what is Supergirl’s go-to?”

“Oh it depends on the occasion! But tonight I think we need one with minimal angst, so that means absolutely no Rent. And I’m saying no to Chicago.”

“Aww, but you know I love ‘Cell Block Tango,’” Alex whined.

“So gay, Danvers,” Maggie teased her girlfriend.

“Hush, the choreography is just really amazing.”

“Mhmm…and I watched The L Word for the amazing plot.”

“Okay, anyway,” Kara interrupted, sensing their teasing could go on for a long time. “Lately I’ve been really into HSM3 and Mamma Mia.”

“HSM3?” Maggie asked.

“High School Musical 3,” Alex clarified.

“Don’t judge, it’s amazing!” Kara added, preemptively defending herself.”

“Whatever you say, little Danvers. I get the appeal of the Efron aesthetic. I dated a cute butch that looked just like him.”

Alex cackled at the look of jealousy on Kara’s face. “How about we do Mamma Mia?”

“Okay! Will you do the dance with me?” Kara asked, turning to look at Alex with her eyes wide and hopeful.

“Absolutely not. We don’t all have alien levels of energy.”

“Danvers, you can’t just let slip that you know the dance and not perform for me,” Maggie teased.

“Another time, Sawyer. If you’re lucky.”

“Guys! Enough with the flirting! I want to watch the movie,” Kara pouted.

“Yes, yes, go on,” Alex teased, pushing the blonde off of the couch and toward the DVD player. 

Within half an hour, all three women were sound asleep, Kara having turned the volume down after the other two fell asleep only to succumb to sleep herself soon enough. 

The next morning, the sound of Alex’s alarm woke the women. Alex found her head in Maggie’s lap and Kara curled around her waist. She was sure her back would hurt all day, but somehow, she found that she didn’t mind if it meant waking up to feel this surrounded by love.


	63. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the comments on the last chapter! I'm getting to them in the next day or two, I promise!
> 
> Also, this chapter is sweet but also NSFW

Over the course of the next few weeks, Alex gradually got over the worst of her reaction to the trauma she had endured. Maggie spent many nights curled around the redhead, watching movies and sharing desserts and cuddling with abandon. She even talked Alex into talking to Dr. Liz Forten, one of her friends back from Gotham who was a licensed counselor that many of the cops on the force saw after dealing with one too many psychotic villains. And of course, Kara and Lena made sure to host plenty of double date dinners and game nights to keep Alex busy and among people who loved her. 

After a few weeks of being held and kissed and cuddled, though, Alex was ready to reclaim a part of their nightly routine that had gone missing around the time of the kidnapping. She understood the first week or two; Kara was over most nights to check in on her, and Alex’s nerves were over-sensitive for quite some time. But by week three, Alex was finally feeling better; Kara had stopped dropping in unannounced; and Alex and Maggie had been able to sleep through the night without any nightmares for a few days in a row. 

By week four, Alex’s body craved Maggie’s touch. Not the hand holding or the back massages that had become nightly commonplaces—and were wonderful, Alex would add—but the feeling of coming undone at Maggie’s hands, of dragging her nails down Maggie’s toned back and threading her fingers through Maggie’s hair as she arched into the smaller woman’s touch. She missed the feel and taste of her girlfriend, the noises Maggie made when she came and the way her eyes darkened and her voice dropped when Alex’s hands strayed down to Maggie’s thighs when they were kissing. Lately, Maggie’s gaze was always focused on Alex’s eyes, her tone laced with concern, and her eyes alert at all times. And as much as Alex appreciated the attention, she wanted some of that care to be shown to her other needs—needs they hadn’t even mentioned in weeks. 

When Alex’s office hours finished on Friday, Maggie was outside of her office, ready to drive them back to Alex’s apartment. “You all ready?”

“Yeah, let me just pack up some exams to grade this weekend.”

“You already gave an exam? Hard ass,” Maggie teased.

“Please, I’ve got a room full of pre-med kids. If I hadn’t given at least one exam a month into the semester, their heads would have exploded out of confusion.”

Maggie chuckled, nodding along with the sentiment.

Once Alex had her bag packed, she took Maggie’s outstretched hand followed her to the car they were using through the “cold” months—a designation Maggie as a Midwesterner continued to tease Alex about. 

As Maggie turned down the street heading away from campus and toward Alex’s apartment, she asked, “You excited for game night tonight?”

“Oh.” Alex paused. “We have another?”

“It is a weekly event.”

“Right, no, I get that. But we already had a big night with everyone this week.”

“Well that was Wednesday movie night.”

Alex bit her lip, trying to figure out how to sound polite, recognizing all that her friends had been doing for her, even as she proposed an alternative for the night. “I see, it’s just, between movie night and game night with the whole gang and dinner at least once or twice a week with Kara and Lena, we haven’t really had any time together.”

“What do you mean?” Maggie asked cluelessly. “We’ve been together at all of those events.”

“But we haven’t been alone, you know? Just the two of us. I miss spending our quiet nights in together. And our date nights. Not double dates, but just us.”

“Oh. Do you want me to take you out to dinner before game night?”

Alex felt like hitting her forehead against the dashboard. It was so like Maggie to be perfectly understanding and accommodating when Alex couldn’t even get out exactly what it was she needed.

“No, but maybe we don’t go to game night this week.”

“Are you feeling okay? Do you need to talk to Dr. Forten? Or do you need a medical doctor?”

“Mags, no! I promise I’m okay. I don’t need a therapist or a doctor or a surgeon or any other medical health professional tonight. I just need time alone with you.”

Maggie nodded. Truth be told, she had also missed her quiet nights in with Alex. She missed cooking dinner together and being a bit more playful and sarcastic than she had been these past few weeks. Of course, she knew more than anyone what it was like trying to build yourself back up to normal after going through something like what Alex went through, so she would never rush the woman. But still, she understood Alex’s sentiment perfectly. 

“Of course, Alex. Should we stop at the store to pick up ingredients for dinner?”

“Nah, you bought enough earlier this week for our dinner date with Kara and Lena. Without my darling sister I think we’ve got enough food for more than a couple meals with just the two of us.”

Maggie chuckled. “Right, right. Girl sure knows how to show appreciation for a well-cooked meal.”

“Hmm, I can think of a few ways to show my appreciation for your efforts too,” Alex flirted, hoping to set the mood in a playful enough way that she wouldn’t scare Maggie away.

Maggie’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and her breath hitched slightly—imperceptibly, she hoped. She would never want to push Alex into sex, but god, she missed her girlfriend in that way. Sometimes she wondered if the intimacy of it might help Alex to heal, but she didn’t want to assume, didn’t want to impose her own emotions onto Alex. So sure, that might have meant a few cold showers (and a few steamy showers alone with her hand and shower head when she had time to herself at her own apartment), but she wanted to be whatever Alex needed her to be and nothing more. In a slightly gruffer tone than she intended, Maggie let loose a humorless laugh and added, “I know you like my cooking, Danvers, but then again, it’s not too hard to beat your old takeout diet.”

“You know we haven’t gotten takeout in ages. I’m becoming rather spoiled.”

“Only the best for my girl.”

Alex preened at Maggie’s words. But they also added to the dull ache pulsing between her legs. She thought back to being called Maggie’s girl in very different contexts—when she got to be “baby girl” or “my girl” when Maggie finally let her come or when Maggie was telling her just how perfect she was, how well she rode her hand or her dick. God, she wanted all of it again.

By the time they got back to Alex’s and called Kara to let her know that they wouldn’t be at game night (but would see her the next night for yet another double date), Alex was done waiting. “Maggie,” Alex called from her bedroom.

“Yes, dear?” Maggie yelled back from the kitchen.

“Can you come here for a minute?’

“Sure, do you want me to get water on for tea first?”

Alex nearly growled in frustration. “Not yet.” For good measure she added: “Thank you!”

Maggie strolled across the apartment and into the bedroom, finding Alex in a tank top and sweatpants. “Ooh pajama time?” Maggie asked excitedly.

“You should at least get out of your work clothes,” Alex purred.

Maggie tried to pull her head out of the gutter. Just because she could make the words sound flirty didn’t mean that Alex intended them to be flirty. She was not about to pressure Alex into something she wasn’t ready for yet.

Alex bit back a moan as Maggie draped her blazer over the back of a chair and pulled her white t-shirt and sports bra over her head, leaving her chest bare and expanses of golden, toned skin out on display. Within seconds, though, Maggie was fishing through her drawer and pulling out a sack-like t-shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants to put on for the night. Alex gave up on trying to preempt the redressing, but hoped that she could get the new layers onto the floor soon enough.

“Kiss me?” Alex asked.

Maggie nodded eagerly, planting a series of chaste kisses against Alex’s lips and cheeks. But then Alex curled her fingers around the back of Maggie’s neck and drew her in deeper, letting her tongue tease Maggie’s lower lip as she begged for entrance, begged for Maggie to deepen the kiss, to let go for a few moments and not worry so much about Alex. 

Comfortable with the fact that Alex was taking the lead, Maggie opened her mouth, allowing the kiss to continue and grow in intensity, knowing that they could stop at any second. Of course, Alex had no intention of stopping them. She slowly led them back to her bed, stopping only when she felt the backs of her legs hit the mattress. Lowering herself down, she tried to chase away the hesitation she glimpsed in Maggie’s expression with a grin and a series of small kisses.

Eventually Maggie conceded and sat down on the bed. She wasn’t about to make assumptions and straddle Alex just yet, but sitting side-by-side couldn’t do any harm. And, well, if Alex was leaning back, making out while lying down wasn’t bad either. They had done that their first night together. Nothing untoward here. Nope. But god it felt good to be back in bed with Alex and not sleeping. She felt Alex’s thigh wrap around hers and moaned into the kiss, her hips bucking forward of their own accord as Alex’s fingertips grazed her lower back, slipping under her shirt. 

Alex nearly gasped at Maggie’s reactions. Her skin felt like it was on fire, every slight touch from Maggie’s hands feeding her desire. “Maggie,” Alex rasped.

Maggie immediately pulled back and moved to shuffle further away from Alex, only to be dragged back in by Alex’s strong thighs. “Yeah?”

“Will you please touch me?” Alex asked, her voice threatening to turn into a needy whine at any second. 

“Are you…are you sure? We don’t need to do anything. I’m sorry for, I don’t know, reacting the way I did. We can move off of the bed,” Maggie rambled, rushing to make sure that Alex knew they didn’t have to do anything.

“Maggie,” Alex sighed. “I so appreciate everything you’ve done for me. And if you want to stop whatever this is for you, that’s fine. But dear god, Mags, I just want to feel you inside me again.”

Maggie swore she might have come from that statement alone. “You sure?” she checked one last time.

“One hundred percent.”

And with that, Maggie wrapped her arms tight around Alex, dragging her up to the pillows and quickly moving to straddle the taller woman. As much as she wanted to ravish Alex and fuck her hard, she cared more about showing her girlfriend just how loved she was, how perfect she was. Everything else could happen later.

Maggie kept her lips on Alex’s as her fingers slowly, carefully dropped down to Alex’s shirt, teasing at the hem as she slowly inched it up Alex’s torso. Eventually she broke their kiss, only for a moment, as she pulled the tank top over Alex’s head. Taking her time, Maggie kissed down Alex’s neck and all across her chest, gently swirling her tongue around Alex’s nipples, feeling them harden into stiff peaks as Alex wound her fingers into her hair, urging her closer. She continued her journey down Alex’s body, running a hot tongue up and down her abs and trailing teasing bites across her hips. 

Alex bit down hard on her lips to keep from growling or moaning or making any of the noises she so desperately wanted to make that would give away just how close she already was. She swore she nearly came with Maggie’s tongue on her chest, but now the woman was just inches away from where she wanted her most, still toying with the waistband of her sweatpants. She bucked her hips to no avail; Maggie seemed determined to tease her and cover every inch of exposed skin before removing the next article of clothing. 

Finally Maggie dragged Alex’s pants down—slowly, though, checking in with Alex, only to receive a desperate “Yes!” in return. She was surprised (and pleasantly so) to find nothing on underneath them. Wrapping her arms around Alex’s body and keeping her hands pressed firmly against Alex’s skin, Maggie began kissing up and down Alex’s thighs, loving the whimpers she heard floating down from above her. 

“Please,” Alex begged, her hips jumping off the bed each time Maggie got close to her. “Maggie, I need you.” 

With a smirk hidden by Alex’s thighs, Maggie made her way back up Alex’s legs, pausing over her girlfriend’s pussy to give Alex a chance to say no if she wanted. But only whimpers reached her ears. She placed a small kiss over Alex’s clit before letting her tongue drop down, parting Alex’s lips as she dipped inside.

“You’re so fucking wet,” Maggie groaned. It was all she had wanted for weeks, and god, the real thing was so much better than what her fantasies could conjure up. “Baby you taste so good,” Maggie moaned, her tongue lapping at Alex’s pussy. 

Alex couldn’t manage any coherent words (or thoughts), but she suspected that the noises she was making would be enough to communicate how much she was enjoying herself. When Maggie flicked her tongue upward and began drawing tight circles around her clit, Alex let out a string of obscenities, her fingers fisting in the sheets. But then Maggie stopped. 

The first thing Maggie noticed was the speed at which Alex’s head snapped up from the pillows. She bit her lip, wondering if she had made a horrible mistake. “Alex? Can I, can I switch to my fingers?’

“Oh my god, is something wrong? Do I taste bad? Did I get my period?”

“No! No, no no! I just, I want to hold you while you come. Kiss you while you come. Is that okay?” Maggie asked, still unsure. 

“Of course, yeah, come here,” Alex offered, motioning to the space right next to her. 

Maggie slithered up the bed, kissing Alex deeply and feeling the other woman moan at tasting herself on Maggie’s tongue. Dropping her hand down, Maggie wet her fingers before slowly sliding one, then two inside of Alex. She started gently, but when Alex began thrusting hard against her hand and nipping at her lower lip, she took the hint and picked up the pace.

Alex tried desperately to wait, to prolong the experience just a little bit more. But Maggie’s fingers were curling at just the right angle, her thumb resting against her clit, exerting a delicious amount of pressure. And then Maggie was moaning into her mouth, telling her how good she felt, how much she had missed her, how wet she was making Maggie. With a particularly deep thrust, Alex felt herself tumbling over the edge, her walls fluttering around Maggie’s fingers as her vision flashed white. When she came to again, she had her leg thrown around Maggie and her fingers still dug deep into Maggie’s back muscles. She trembled as the last of the aftershocks racked through her body.

Maggie surged forward and kissed her, slowly removing her fingers as she wound both arms around Alex, pulling her girlfriend into a tight embrace. Alex lost track of how long they stayed like that, just holding each other and kissing until their lips were both swollen. 

When Alex’s stomach let out a loud grumble, they pulled back, Maggie giggling slightly. “Hungry, Danvers?”

“Maybe a little…”

Maggie paused before getting out of bed. “Hey, Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. So much. I just, I need you to know that, okay?”

“I felt it. And I love you too. Now if you feed me, I promise we’ll get right back in bed, and I’ll show you just how much.”

“You’re so on!” Maggie called with a big grin, already tripping into her sweatpants as she ran for the kitchen.


	64. Chapter 64

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an update, not a chapter! Apologies in advance, but I am linking (http://archiveofourown.org/works/10724550/chapters/23763651) to my new Supergirl fiction that's going to be prompt fills, so hit me up in the comments sections with requests for whatever you want to see!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting on this fictions! I'm not writing off the idea of coming back to it, even though I'm marking it as "complete" for now, but based on the ideas I have and the prompts I've gotten from all of your wonderful comments, I think it would end up taking me many more chapters and might involve large jumps forward in the timeline. That being said, I'll probably come back and add chapters to this particular fiction every now and then.

BUT, in addition to the Buffy plot/Supergirl character series I've been writing, I'm working on a new series of prompt fills, "Stronger Together" - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10724550/chapters/23763651   
I would love to see some of you over there, and please do post requests if you have them. I've got a few gathered from comments on earlier chapters, but if you want the works to be set in this AU (or another, I'm not restricting myself to canon only), do comment on that work with your request and specify please :) I'm open to relationships other than Sanvers and Supercorp, though I've had the most experience writing them. Down to write smut/fluff/crack/even angst, though in moderation  
For now, I've got a fluffy/funny/soon to be smutty 2- or 3-chapter starting story about Maggie's night as a drag king for charity and Alex's reaction to seeing her ;) so I hope you'll come join me over there!


	65. Chapter 65

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I put this fic on pause/ended it, but after 2x19 and Gertrude, I saw a moment between these ladies (plus Vicky) that I just needed to write!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting: The week after grading has been completed and our ladies are officially on break for the summer (or as much of a break as doing research/publishing can be…)

“Hey, Danvers?” Maggie mused as she rolled over in bed, kissing Alex on the cheek.

“Hmm?” Alex mumbled, her face muffled by the pillow as she tried to sleep for a few more minutes.

“Oh…are you not awake yet?”

“Ugh, I am now. What do you want?”

“I’ll wait til you’re in a better mood!” Maggie said cheerfully.

“How are you so damn alert already?” Alex whined. “We were up until, like, 3 in the morning.”

“Promise of morning sex?” Maggie tried, earning a grumble and a half-hearted groping from Alex. Giggling she curled tightly around the redhead. “What if I told you that I want to take you on a field trip today?”

“I might be intrigued enough to sit up…and you can make it a definite if you bring me coffee.”

“One step ahead of ya, babe!” Maggie pulled a second mug—the damn Stronger Together mug that Alex nearly killed her for stealing so many months ago, to be exact—from off of the nightstand and handed it over to Alex, who took it gratefully. 

“Okay. I’m awake. I’m alert. What’s this field trip about?”

“Remember that conversation we had over spring break?”

Alex closed her eyes, trying to think back to March. They had gone to visit a few of Maggie’s old friends and colleagues in Gotham, then spent the rest of the break in bed together. “Is this a sex thing?” Alex guessed.

“Nope! I mean, we can do some of that later too, but come on, think harder!”

Alex grumbled, “It’s too early to think that hard.”

“We make our students do it all the time.”

“If I were being graded on our conversations, maybe I’d remember,” Alex huffed. “Okay, um, is it something that happened when we were at Pam’s house?”

“Yes! Now keep thinking!”

“Uh, she asked us if we U-Hauled. Did you want to move in more formally than you already have?”

“Danvers, my apartment has a layer of dust an inch thick, and we bought a second dresser to store all of my clothing. The only thing unofficial about this arrangement is the lease and the fact that I’m still out $1,400 every month.”

“Mags, if you want to move in, I’m really okay with it. Is that what you want to talk about? I mean, maybe we should have been more romantic about it…always seemed sort of cheesy, but I could take your key back and wrap it up in a box or something?”

Maggie chuckled. “Nah, you’re good, Al. I don’t need romantic gestures; just living here with you is enough for me. But think about what else Pam asked about, or, well, what we talked about afterward.”

“Oh! We started listing all the firsts we hadn’t gotten to yet.”

“Right!” Maggie exclaimed, kissing Alex soundly as a reward. “Well, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to explore one of them…”

Alex looked apprehensive. “I know I said I might consider it, but I really don’t know that I’m that into the idea of trying anal, sweetie.”

Maggie dropped her face into her palm, groaning. “Not that! A pet, Alex, I’m talking about a pet.”

“Oh! I like pets.”

“I just thought, I don’t know, now that we don’t have to be on campus everyday, it would be a good time to give an animal the time and space it needs to get used to a new home and everything. And, I mean, if you’re not up for it, I could also go back to living at my place, which is pet-friendly, and you could come visit me more often…” Maggie trailed off, suddenly worrying that she was putting too much of a commitment on Alex.

“Slow down there, tiger. I’m happy with you here, honestly. And this building is pet-friendly too. One of the reasons I ended up here, actually. Long story, but Kara was convinced that I needed a cat to complete my academic persona.”

“Just to be clear, we’re not getting a cat, right?”

“No! I mean, they’re cute and all, but I’m more of a dog person.”

“Woman after my own heart,” Maggie gushed.

“I’d hope so!”

“Right. Well, the local shelter is doing a big adoption event all week. Basically, they’re waiving the adoption fees because of overcrowding. I’m not saying we have to adopt one today or even this week, but it might be nice to go, get to know everyone out at the shelter, play with the dogs. What do you think?”

“I think that sounds like an excellent idea.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

An hour later, Maggie and Alex were walking hand-in-hand toward the shelter, which was less than a mile from Alex’s place. “What kind of dogs do you like?” Alex asked, swinging their joined hands.

“Mutts,” Maggie declared. “Everyone always goes for the ones that the shelter labels as closest to purebreds, but mutts are definitely the way to go.”

“Hmm, yeah. I like big dogs. Kara always wanted one of those teeny-tiny purse-sized things; she just thought they were the cutest things ever. And, I mean, sure, they are cute. But there’s nothing like a big mutt jumping into your lap and pretending he’s tiny to cure all the stress of the workday.”

“You like me even though I’m tiny, right?” Maggie asked teasingly.

“You’ll do,” Alex teased back. 

“I like big dogs too, so don’t worry. I think the little ones would have gotten lost in all the snow back home…”

Alex laughed as they rounded the corner. They were greeted by the sight of balloons and banners draped across the front of the shelter as couples and families gathered around the yard, many of them walking a dog with a leash that read, “I’m in need of a loving home!”

They went inside and quickly filled out the forms, stating that they understood that playing with animals could always be a risk. “Are you two looking for something specific today? And are you together or…?”

“Together!” Alex chimed in, grabbing ahold of Maggie’s hand to make it clear that they were not to be referred to as roommates or friends or gal pals or sisters (how people made it to sisters when they looked nothing alike always confused her). 

“We’re just looking, but we like bigger dogs. And mutts are totally fine by us,” Maggie added.

“Okay, great, follow me. I’ll show you around and introduce you to a few of our dogs.” Maggie and Alex nodded and smiled back at the woman.

Over the course of the morning, they met and played with and walked plenty of dogs, all of them adorable in their own right. “Who’s this guy?” Alex asked, gesturing toward one of the runs in the last aisle.

“Oh, that’s Rose,” the woman explained. “She was dropped off in the middle of the night—abandoned here, really. We took to calling her Rose when she kept falling asleep in the sunny spot in the flower beds out back. She’s really sweet, but she’s been here for a while now. She’s a bit older than most of our dogs—probably three, definitely not older than four. But the families that come in, they want a puppy; they want to imagine a whole life with a dog.”

Alex glanced over at Maggie, who was stealthily trying to wipe away the tears that had started to spill as the woman talked. The moment made Alex fall more and more in love with the woman, and she wrapped her arm around Maggie. “Could we play with her for a little while?” Alex asked, her voice soft.

“Sure! She’s a little on the subdued side—like I said, not a puppy anymore—but she’s a real cuddle monster if you sit down anywhere near her.”

Alex grinned as Rose came out and sniffed at her pants. “What kind of dog do you think she is?”

“Honestly? We’re not sure. She could definitely have some black lab in there, given her coloring. The ears suggest a terrier or a German shepherd—by the size, I’m going to guess the latter, plus she’s got those tan spots. But I’m pretty sure she could have plenty of other breeds all mixed in.”

Maggie nodded as she took the offered leash. “Wanna walk outside with her?” she asked Alex. “If she loves the sun so much, it might be nice to get her in the gardens.”

“Sounds great.” 

Within ten minutes, Alex had a lapful of not-so-young puppy, as Rose dozed across her legs in a sunny spot out back. When Maggie lowered herself down to the ground, Rose perked up again, sprawling out much longer than either woman thought she could. She managed to get her front paws and head into Maggie’s lap, snuffling in the hand that contained a few of the shelter-approved biscuits.

Maggie let out a loud laugh. “You hungry? Do you think she knows any commands?”

“I don’t know. Only one way to find out, I guess.” Alex shuffled her legs back slightly, earning a disgruntled look from Rose, who had been enjoying her human sofa. “Hey, buddy. Can you sit for us?” Alex asked, emphasizing the word sit. Rose shuffled up and sat back on her haunches, dropping lazily to one side, but sitting nonetheless.

“Good girl!” Maggie praised enthusiastically, rubbing Rose’s ears and feeding her a biscuit. 

“Paw,” Alex commanded next, getting a furry paw tapping at her thigh insistently as Rose eyed the handful of snacks. 

Maggie broke one in half, not wanting to spoil the dog. “Down,” she tried, watching as Rose eagerly hit the ground, her tail wagging as she waited for the other half of her biscuit. “Roll over!” Maggie continued, drawing circles with her finger. Rose cocked her head to the side, her ears standing up at full attention.

“I don’t think she knows that one,” Alex laughed.

“Hmm, maybe this one: Play dead!” Rose just titled her head in the other direction, looking up at the two women. 

“Look at that, cocking her head to the side. She’s already taking after her mommy,” Alex laughed, elbowing Maggie.

“Rude!” But then, as if just registering the rest of Alex’s words, Maggie turned back to her. “Her ‘mommy,’ Danvers?”

“Oh, do you prefer mom?”

Maggie bit back a grin. “Are you saying we’re adopting Rose?”

“Uh, err, well, we don’t have to…but I think I will. I just can’t stand the thought of this sweetheart going another day without a loving home. It’s not her fault she got abandoned later in life! And plus, she’s so well-trained. I bet she’s already housebroken too, so we won’t have as much stress.”

“Alex,” Maggie cut off the rambling. “I agree. If you didn’t want to get her together, I think I might have come back for her myself.”

“You saying we would have broken up over a dog?” Alex laughed incredulously. 

“Look at those big brown eyes! Who could say no to them?”

“I have big brown eyes,” Alex whined.

“Yeah, yeah,” Maggie retorted, waving off the comment.

Within the hour, they had filled out all of the paperwork, earning an approving smile from the woman who had helped them. “I think Rose is going to be very happy with you two. And since you came with vet references”—something Maggie might have done over the past week in anticipation of the event—“and we already know the apartment building, you’ll be able to take her home today as long as you purchase a collar, leash, and food before you leave. You’ll also have to agree to a follow-up home visit in a week to make sure that she’s settling in well and that you’re taking good care of her.”

“Of course,” Alex rushed to agree. “Take us to the leashes!” 

\---

“Why do you get to hold the dog while I carry all of her shit?” Maggie whined.

“You lost. Rock paper scissors is the definitive solution to all of life’s problems,” Alex shrugged, skipping slightly (though she’d deny it if pressed) as she caught up with Rose, who looked very dapper in her pink and black collar/harness/leash combo. Maggie grumbled behind them, dragging the 20-pound bag of food, a dog bed, and a set of bowls they had picked up. 

About halfway through, Alex conceded and let Maggie take a turn walking Rose, although she cackled a bit when Rose took the leash changing hands as the opportunity to poop. “You’ve gotta pick it up, Mags. Whoever holds the leash picks up the poop.”

Maggie rolled her eyes but did as she was told, grateful that they had grabbed a few plastic bags on their way out of the shelter. 

When they got back to the apartment, they followed the shelter’s instructions closely, helping Rose to get acclimated to the new surroundings slowly, though they found that she was pretty comfortable already, and within a few minutes, she was curled up on the dog bed, wagging her tail at her new home. 

“Oh shit,” Alex let out.

“What’s wrong?”

“Vicky’s coming over for a late lunch today. In an hour, to be precise. Think she’ll mind pizza?”

Maggie chuckled. “Pizza is fine. Look at you, finding a way to sneak junk food into our diet at ever turn.”

“Hush, hush. Between you and Lena, I end up eating plenty of vegetables.”

“Against your will,” Maggie mumbled, looking off innocently.

Alex stuck her tongue out. “I’m going to warn Vicky about the new addition, though she had dogs growing up, so I’m sure it’s fine.”

\---

“And who are you my handsome little princess?” Vicky cooed, dropping to her knees as soon as the door was shut behind her. She held out her hands, letting Rose warm up to her. Once she got an affirmative tail wag and a lick on the face, she reached out and rubbed Rose’s chest. Rose soon dropped to the floor dramatically and rolled onto her back, swatting at Vicky’s hands with her paws as she demanded belly rubs. 

“She really is something,” Alex laughed.

“What’s her name?” Vicky asked.

“Rose,” Maggie answered. “Well, that’s what it was at the shelter.”

“Are you two going to change it?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, it’s not like she responds that well to Rose yet. Besides, I’ve got some names in mind.”

“Oh yeah? Care to enlighten your girlfriend and your dog’s other mother?”

“Gertrude. I’d like to name her Gertrude.”

Maggie choked on the sip of water she had taken. “Excuse me?”

Alex shrugged totally unfazed by Maggie’s reaction. “I’ve always wanted my dog to be named Gertrude.”

“She’ll be the laughing stock of the dog park!”

Vicky bit back a grin as the two women bickered. They kept their tone light enough that Rose was none the wiser to the debate being raged over her future name. When it seemed like the women had reached a stalemate, Vicky thought she might offer some help. After all, she actually remembered Alex picking the name Gertrude back when she was in high school during a game of MASH they played in the back of study hall. 

Clearing her throat, Vicky interjected: “You know, you could be real academics if you name her Gertrude.”

“How so?” Maggie asked, arching her eyebrow.

“Well, her name is Rose now, and, ya know, ‘Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose…’ Voila. Gertrude Stein. And look at this little darling. She is ‘loveliness extreme.’”

“We’re not English professors,” Maggie scoffed.

“Excuse me for thinking you might want to seem a little cultured,” Vicky huffed, a teasing smirk on her lips.

“Plus, you’ve totally got Gertrude Stein on your lesbian literature bookshelf!” Alex called out, a triumphant grin already on her face. “Come on, we’d get so much gay street cred for naming our dog after a lesbian icon.”

“We couldn’t do, like, Ellie, for Eleanor Roosevelt?”

Alex shook her head. “Nope. Gertrude. Please,” she begged, pushing out her lower lip and widening her eyes.

“Ugh, I can’t have two sets of puppy dog eyes in this apartment! Fine, fine! I relent. She can be…Gertrude.”

Alex beamed and kissed Maggie soundly. “Did you hear that, Gertrude? You’ve got a name now. A real new name to go with your forever home.” She planted a row of kisses across Gertrude’s belly, earning a tongue in the ear and a rapidly wagging tail in the chest, but somehow, she found it was totally worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the prompt fill fic, Stronger Together, that I've been writing, I finally ended up on Tumblr. Come find me @sapphicscholarwrites if you want to talk Supergirl, academia, queer culture, Gertrude (Stein or the puppy), whatever!


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